This action may have an effect on Pakistan as the country is trying to get the organisation to the negotiating table.
ISLAMABAD: Some American sources have revealed that Latif Mehsud, a leader of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been arrested in northeastern Afghanistan, in a US Army raid when he was returning after holding talks with Afghan government officials. Latif Mehsud is considered to be the right-hand man of Hakeemullah Mehsud, who is heading the TTP and is responsible for the killings of thousands of Pakistanis and dozens in Afghanistan. Reports also state that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not happy with this act by US forces as talks with the TTP and Afghan officials were being held on his personal wish and the parties concerned were close to a fruitful result.
Latif Mehsud’s capture is being considered as another milestone after Osama bin Laden’s killing but it seems that no one can see the possible negative fallout of this action. The TTP leader was not arrested in any armed operation. This was because Latif was confident about the talks and he probably had not thought that he would be arrested. The TTP positioned Latif to work as a variable between the Afghan government and their group. This action may have an effect on Pakistan as the country is trying to get the organisation to the negotiating table in order to promote peace in the region. One must make sense of the whole scenario, in which Pakistan is trying to implement the peace process in this region, whereas other nations are doing nothing except blaming Pakistan for the instability in the region.
The US and Nato forces have achieved a lot in Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan’s intelligence-sharing. Since the US itself is going for talks with the Afghan Taliban and other militant groups, it must acknowledge and care about other nations, which wish to follow the same path, especially when it comes to their most responsible and closest ally in the war against terrorism.
Javed Ali Kalhoro
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2013.
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