Pakistan witnessed an unprecedented wave of militant attacks, internal political turmoil and stalemate in Indo-Pak ties in 2009 as the country failed to punish the perpetrators of 26/11 terror strikes.
Rocked by an unprecedented wave of militant attacks and suicide bombings, casualties in Pakistan in terror violence jumped to an all time high of more than 3,000 in 2009, marking it as one of the most dangerous places in globe.
Though Pakistan has begun cracking down on groups threatening its security, India is still not convinced it has done enough against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh met Zardari on the sidelines of an international summit in Yekaterinburg in June and later his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh the following month but the two sides were unable to bridge their differences, particularly on the issue of tackling militant groups operating from Pakistani soil.
The terrorist onslaught added to the problems of the Pakistan ruling People's Party-led government, which was already grappling with a crippling energy crisis, economic woes and shortages of food items like sugar.
PPP chief and president Asif Ali Zardari was on shaky ground a little over a year after assuming the post and facing fresh challenges as the Supreme Court struck down a graft amnesty granted to him and close aides in corruption cases under an expired law.
Singh's unprecedented step of acknowledging Pakistan’s concerns over interference in Balochistan created a storm back in India, and the situation was compounded after Islamabad claimed it had evidence of the alleged Indian role in fomenting unrest.
Though no stranger to terror attacks, the country specially its lawless north-western frontier witnessed a spate of suicide attacks as security forces launched a campaign to wipe out the home grown Tehrik-i-Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign militants.
The militants struck back carrying out suicide attacks all over the country with impunity. Terrorists carried out some of the most brazen and audacious assaults this year, hitting the army's fortified General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, ISI's offices in Peshawar and Multan and several other security facilities.
The army cracked down on the Taliban in Swat in May after militants took advantage of a peace deal to extend their influence to districts located 100 km from Islamabad.
Another offensive was launched in Waziristan in October after a spate of terrorist bombings. The military claims it has killed over 2,000 rebels in these two campaigns but the Taliban, under the leadership of the brash Hakimullah Mehsud, demonstrated that it retained the capability to strike almost at will.
Soon after soldiers backed by tanks and jets captured most Taliban strongholds in Waziristan, the militants struck a crowded market in Peshawar, ISI offices in Multan and Peshawar, police training centres and a commercial hub in Lahore and the naval headquarters in Islamabad.
Over 400 people have died in these attacks. Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, described by New Delhi as the mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks, continues to be at large as Islamabad says there is no evidence against him.
The JuD too has not been formally banned by Pakistani authorities and the group is continuing its activities in the guise of Falah-e-Insaniyat.
Though seven men, including Lashker-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, were arrested by Pakistani investigators for their involvement in the Mumbai attacks, their in-camera trial has become mired in controversy and confusion.
Security experts also say little has been done to rein in other anti-India groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed though there is growing evidence they were linked to the planning and execution of recent high-profile attacks blamed on the local Taliban.
The political uncertainty and terrorist attacks throughout the year, coupled with pressure from the West for more action against militants, meant that the government could give little attention to reviving the composite dialogue with India, suspended since last year’s Mumbai attacks.
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