'Committees can do only as much'
Those who thought Taliban are down and out and the talks exercise was launched to let them slip away from the back door must review and revise their thinking. Taliban are neither down nor out; they are very much there and want to be accepted as Pakistan's principal stakeholder. Met even halfway a laundry list of demands their leadership is said to have handed over to their interlocutors, we would be a carbon copy of Mulla Omar-ruled Afghanistan. Of these, the three that are of critical importance to the cause of peace in the country are (1) release all prisoners including foreigners and drop criminal charges against Taliban, (2) withdraw army from tribal areas and close down checkpoints and (3) replace democratic system with Islamic system. If these are the 'some encouraging response' from the TTP Shura, as Maulana Samiul Haq would like us to believe, what more the TTP could have demanded. And all of this, he says, is nothing but a 'breakthrough' because the Taliban leadership is ready to hold talks within the 'constitutional limits'. The government is talking to the outlaws who not only question the very basis of our constitutional edifice but want complete amnesty for the horrendous brutality they committed against the people of Pakistan - what a joke. The Irfan Siddiqui-led committee is not the government itself as some would like to argue it is nothing but hogwash. We don't know if some people want to see Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's Amirul Momineen, but would be definitely moving a step closer to this honorific position though he decides to meet the TTP even halfway. Earlier when Maulana Samiul Haq met the prime minister and claimed he was tasked to initiate peace parleys with Taliban, his claim was rebuffed by the prime minister office. But a month later he is at the head of a team appointed by the Taliban now. What is all this cooking up in the government kitchen?
Before the so-called peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban proceed any further Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take the nation into confidence, at least on the following points. One, what rationale is for the apparent move to concede Fata to the Taliban, like Swat was handed over to Maulana Fazlullah. And is it what majority of the tribal people want? Two, what guarantee is that with peace deal cut with Fazlullah-headed TTP its myriad affiliates active elsewhere will too give up on their armed struggle against democratic Pakistan. This is an important issue given the fact that even as the committees of the two sides are in talks the welter of terrorism refuses to abate. One would also like to know if such a deal will secure the life and limb of the Hazaras. Three, if thanks to its terrorist record the TTP in being approached for peace talks why not other terrorists and outlawed entities' like the ones in Balochistan. Can government accommodate their demands also, some of which are as critical as of the TTP in terms of their acceptance under the constitution? No wonder then as the government seems to be surrendering to the dictates of sword-wielding Taliban others with identical but had taken the back seat have returned to the field to demand their slice of the pie. By holding peace talks with the Taliban the government may have initiated a whole new ballgame - which it cannot win at least in the present circumstances. In fact it can backfire, particularly if what the government committee agrees is not upheld by the people and endorsed by the parliament. Consider the complexity of the issue: even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which was never short on the need to talk to the Taliban is not prepared to be their representative. Before the committees go any further it would be in the fitness of things that the parliament should get involved. It wants talks with Taliban but is it ready to agree to its demands as reported by the media. Meeting these demands would demand a constitutional cover and that only the parliament can give. The parliamentary resolutions in support of talks with Taliban, yes these are there on record. But now the situation dictates moving beyond the non-binding resolutions and to evolve a hard-nosed, realistic approach to rid Pakistan of demons of extremism and terrorism once for all - of course, not forgetting that military operation is the second best option.
Those who thought Taliban are down and out and the talks exercise was launched to let them slip away from the back door must review and revise their thinking. Taliban are neither down nor out; they are very much there and want to be accepted as Pakistan's principal stakeholder. Met even halfway a laundry list of demands their leadership is said to have handed over to their interlocutors, we would be a carbon copy of Mulla Omar-ruled Afghanistan. Of these, the three that are of critical importance to the cause of peace in the country are (1) release all prisoners including foreigners and drop criminal charges against Taliban, (2) withdraw army from tribal areas and close down checkpoints and (3) replace democratic system with Islamic system. If these are the 'some encouraging response' from the TTP Shura, as Maulana Samiul Haq would like us to believe, what more the TTP could have demanded. And all of this, he says, is nothing but a 'breakthrough' because the Taliban leadership is ready to hold talks within the 'constitutional limits'. The government is talking to the outlaws who not only question the very basis of our constitutional edifice but want complete amnesty for the horrendous brutality they committed against the people of Pakistan - what a joke. The Irfan Siddiqui-led committee is not the government itself as some would like to argue it is nothing but hogwash. We don't know if some people want to see Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's Amirul Momineen, but would be definitely moving a step closer to this honorific position though he decides to meet the TTP even halfway. Earlier when Maulana Samiul Haq met the prime minister and claimed he was tasked to initiate peace parleys with Taliban, his claim was rebuffed by the prime minister office. But a month later he is at the head of a team appointed by the Taliban now. What is all this cooking up in the government kitchen?
Before the so-called peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban proceed any further Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take the nation into confidence, at least on the following points. One, what rationale is for the apparent move to concede Fata to the Taliban, like Swat was handed over to Maulana Fazlullah. And is it what majority of the tribal people want? Two, what guarantee is that with peace deal cut with Fazlullah-headed TTP its myriad affiliates active elsewhere will too give up on their armed struggle against democratic Pakistan. This is an important issue given the fact that even as the committees of the two sides are in talks the welter of terrorism refuses to abate. One would also like to know if such a deal will secure the life and limb of the Hazaras. Three, if thanks to its terrorist record the TTP in being approached for peace talks why not other terrorists and outlawed entities' like the ones in Balochistan. Can government accommodate their demands also, some of which are as critical as of the TTP in terms of their acceptance under the constitution? No wonder then as the government seems to be surrendering to the dictates of sword-wielding Taliban others with identical but had taken the back seat have returned to the field to demand their slice of the pie. By holding peace talks with the Taliban the government may have initiated a whole new ballgame - which it cannot win at least in the present circumstances. In fact it can backfire, particularly if what the government committee agrees is not upheld by the people and endorsed by the parliament. Consider the complexity of the issue: even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which was never short on the need to talk to the Taliban is not prepared to be their representative. Before the committees go any further it would be in the fitness of things that the parliament should get involved. It wants talks with Taliban but is it ready to agree to its demands as reported by the media. Meeting these demands would demand a constitutional cover and that only the parliament can give. The parliamentary resolutions in support of talks with Taliban, yes these are there on record. But now the situation dictates moving beyond the non-binding resolutions and to evolve a hard-nosed, realistic approach to rid Pakistan of demons of extremism and terrorism once for all - of course, not forgetting that military operation is the second best option.
No comments:
Post a Comment