Pakistan tribal jirga in Kabul pushing for peace with TTP

PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD:

As part of the latest efforts to seek a peace deal with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and its affiliates, a Pakistani tribal jirga comprising at least 53 members arrived in Kabul on Wednesday from Peshawar.

The jirga, which flew in a C130 aircraft and includes elders from erstwhile tribal areas and some politicians from K-P, reached the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul for the three-day talks.

Jirga member and PPP leader Akhundzada Chattan tweeted images of the delegation at the Islamabad International Airport before their departure to Kabul.

The delegation was welcomed by Afghanistan’s Acting Interior Minister Siraj Uddin Haqqani who assured them that the Afghan Taliban would play their pivotal role in the peace deal between Pakistan and the TTP.
The tribal jirga held talks with the TTP leadership as well as the Afghan interim Taliban government, which is mediating between the two sides.

All the sides including TTP members, Afghan Taliban’s intelligence department, interior ministry and the tribal jirga openly exchanged views with each other.

According to sources, after the initial talks, it has been agreed to continue dialogue on disputed issues such as rolling back of FATA reforms and providing safe passage for TTP commanders to their home districts.
The source added that Senator Saleh Shah who was also part of the previous talks shared the jirga viewpoints with the TTP.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Chattan, an ex-parliamentarian from Bajaur district, said the Taliban and tribal leaders have agreed to form a special committee comprising two members each from all the districts that would share the list of demands by each side.

He said that the demands would be shared with military officials, adding that the jirga members met the military brass in Peshawar before leaving for Kabul.

“The two sides agreed to not leak any confidential information to media as it would jeopardise the ongoing peace process,” Chattan said. “Issues relating to peace and security of the tribal districts and TTP concerns were shared with the jirga but details were not divulged.”

The jirga would remain in Kabul till Friday. “All the representatives of the Jirga agreed that members of the Mehsud tribe would meet the Mehsud Taliban and likewise TTP members hailing from Swat or Malakand district would meet their jirga representatives so they could communicate their concerns with each other and also take surety on all subjects,” a jirga member said on condition of anonymity.

Read Pakistan, TTP agree to indefinite ceasefire as talks continue

Reports suggest the TTP has put forward a list of demands including withdrawal of troops from the now defunct tribal areas, release of their prisoners, a reversal of FATA merger and permission to keep arms.

But the Pakistani side is not ready to accept all the proposals. The tribal jirga, sources said, would persuade the TTP to lay down arms and return home.

The peace talks between the TTP and security establishment, initiated in October last year, have entered a new phase. The security forces are trying to bring the warring tribes back to their respective districts and integrate them into society.

Earlier this week, the outlawed TTP had extended the ceasefire indefinitely in order to allow more time for talks with Pakistan. Afghan Taliban’s Haqqani Network is playing a central role in brokering a peace deal between the two sides.

The peace process resumed last month after Pakistan sent a clear message to the Afghan Taliban-led government that it would no more tolerate cross border terrorist attacks.

Over 120 Pakistani security personnel were martyred this year in terrorist attacks mostly carried out by the TTP from across the border.

In April, frequent cross border terrorist attacks compelled Pakistan to launch retaliatory air strikes targeting TTP hideouts across the border. It also warned the Afghan Taliban to take stern action against the TTP, which was operating with impunity from Afghanistan’s soil.

Feeling the pressure from Pakistan once again, the Afghan Taliban persuaded the TTP to engage in peace talks. Few weeks ago a Pakistani delegation led by Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Faiz Hamid visited Kabul and held talks with the TTP.

The talks led to renewal of truce by TTP until May 30 that has now been extended indefinitely.

It is believed that Pakistan also released some TTP commanders, who were in custody as a goodwill gesture. However, there has been no official word from the Pakistani side on the talks. Most of the information either came from the TTP or the Afghan Taliban government.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said it was a delicate issue and he could only comment on it after approval from the prime minister.

The presence of TTP on Afghan soil has threatened to unravel the relationship between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. The interim Taliban government is reluctant to take any action against the TTP since it has fought alongside the so-called Pakistani Taliban against the US-led foreign forces.

Pakistani officials also acknowledged that the TTP and the Afghan Taliban are different sides of the same coin.

Officials privy to the matter believe that a peace deal between Pakistan and the TTP would serve the interest of the Afghan Taliban. Such a scenario would be a win-win situation for the Afghan Taliban as it would address Pakistan’s concerns without taking action against the TTP.

Observers, however, are wary of prospects of long term peace between Pakistan and the TTP given the track record of the militant outfit.

The visiting jirga includes leading political and religious scholars of K-P including chairman of the Senate’s standing committee on frontier regions, Senator Bilal Rehman, ex-governor K-P Engineer Shaukat Ullah, PPP tribal leader and former MNA Akhundzada Chattan, ex-Senators Maulana Saleh Shah and Hafiz Rashid Ahmed, tribal elders Malak Nadar Manan, Malik Fayyaz and Malik Marjan.