Mohammed Amir Rana, a Pakistani analyst whose Pak Institute for Peace Studies tracks militant organizations, called this a "critical juncture" for people in the country who have been sympathetic to Taliban militants or called for talks with them. The Taliban said the attack was in retaliation for an army operation launched in June in the North Waziristan tribal area. Pakistan has long been accused of playing a double game when it comes to dealing with militancy — fostering some militant groups that operate in Afghanistan and India as a way of maintaining influence there, while pursuing other militants who target the Pakistani state. [...] a religious school in Islamabad associated with the Lal Masjid mosque named a library this year after slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Outside the mosque on Thursday, a group of roughly 60 protesters rallied against its ideological support for militancy — a rare instance of people publicly questioning religious leaders. Many praised as a hopeful sign Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's decision Wednesday to lift a moratorium on the death penalty in terrorism cases.