Pashtun autonomy in Pakistan

Selig Harrison proposes a strategy for the Obama administration in Pakistan:

-Stop airstrikes.
-Support Pashtuns in their desire for a stronger position vis-a-vis the Punjabi-dominated government in Pakistan.
The Taliban are pashtuns and their al-Qaeda allies are mostly Arab Islamists coming from other countries. The idea is that separating the ethnic tensions (Pashtuns vs. Punjabis) from the religious ones (Islamists vs. moderates) could prevent a dangerous fusion of ethnic and religious tensions. So if you deal with Pashtuns' requests for autonomy in Pakistan, you eliminate one important aspect of the tensions and increase the likelihood that support for al-Qaeda will decrease. In short, the key is to separate the Taliban from al-Qaeda.