Can we allow a group to act as a state within a state?
ISLAMABAD: The basic purpose of the recent APC organised by the government was to decide whether or not talks are to be held with the Taliban. As a state we have to come out of this seemingly never-ending cycle of violence which has assumed such a proportion that it now poses a major threat to the country’s existence.
Let’s assume that the state accepts every demand of the Taliban, what happens next? Can we allow a group to act as a state within a state and challenge the state’s writ whenever it feels the need to do so? Also, if a peace deal is reached, what will happen to those who make up the fighting force of the Taliban? Will they return to their previous livelihoods or will they be accommodated elsewhere in some other capacity/position? Nobody seems to have thought through the eventual outcome of the talks and where it will lead the country.
Sobia Amir
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2013.
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