Concern Rises Over Pakistan Plan to Halt Extremism Suspected Islamic militants killed at least 160 people during the new Pakistani government's first month in office, fueling concern that the country's leaders lack a coherent strategy to fight the pervasive problem of violent extremism. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party scored a resounding victory in national elections in May with a platform that promoted peace talks as the best way to quell a domestic Taliban insurgency that has killed thousands of people. The plan quickly fell apart after the Taliban withdrew their offer to talk in response to a U.S. drone strike that killed the group's deputy leader at the end of May. The government has yet to articulate an alternate strategy, and in the meantime, the attacks keep coming. "The government is completely confused over the terrorism problem," said Zahid Hussain, whose books plot the rise of militancy in Pakistan. The government's indecisiveness and dithering has emboldened the militants. At least 160 people were killed in suspected militant attacks in June, according to an Associated Press count. It was the second most deaths in a month this year, following April, when there were many attacks related to the election, said Mohammed Amir Rana, head of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies. Hussain and other analysts said the government failed to respond aggressively enough to the attacks over the last month. The government mostly relied on routine press releases that criticized the violence and expressed sorrow for the dead, but made no mention of who carried them out or how they would respond. The government has taken a few public steps to show it is dealing with the attacks, which included the killing of international tourists at a scenic mountain, a suicide bombing of women university students and an attack on a funeral that killed a lawmaker. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to Quetta, the capital of southwest Baluchistan province, an area where minority Shiite Muslims have been repeatedly killed by radical Sunni extremists. He brought senior security officials with him, including the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency. "We will give full our attention to bring an end to the lawlessness, whether it is in Quetta and Baluchistan or other parts of the country," Sharif told reporters during his trip. Last month, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also traveled to Quetta following an attack there that left 24 people dead. Khan reiterated the country's support for talks with militants, although he did say that those who refuse to renounce violence will be dealt with "through other means." Sharif has announced that he plans to hold a high-level meeting with political party leaders on July 12 to discuss a national strategy to curb militancy. Analysts said Sharif's trip to Quetta was a good step, but it's the follow-through that matters. They warned that the government's attempts to form a consensus will likely founder. Islamist parties will likely blame the problem of militancy on CIA drone strikes and the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, and no action will be taken, said Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani army general and defense analyst.