Dealing with TTP

The civil-military huddle on Tuesday agreed to broker peace with the TTP but not on terms infringing the Constitution. As the Parliamentary Committee on National Security was briefed by the army brass, salient features of progress attained in the talks with the militia on the run in Afghanistan were discussed. During the four-hour-long meeting presided over by the Speaker National Assembly, the legislators – comprising the Prime Minister, the leaders of the house and opposition in the Sen-ate and leaders of the parliamentary parties – were taken on board. After detailed discussion, a procedural decorum was jotted down, which says that no extra-constitutional concessions would be conceded to the non-state actor(s), and the final deal shall be subject to approval by the parliament. The talks with TTP fugitives are intentionally meant to give peace a chance, and to avoid fissures that the country has witnessed during the hey-days of war on terrorism.

The decision to take the parliament into confidence was mooted by the PPP leadership, as it would not only pave the way for a permanent solution, but also buoy the military in firmly negotiating a deal with the TTP. The banned outfit has demanded withdrawal of security forces from the erstwhile tribal areas; annulment of the merger of tribal agencies with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province carried out in 2018 through 25th constitutional amendment; and release of fighters belonging to the outlawed group and compensation for the damages it suffered. There are also reports of the militia demanding their interpretation of Sharia law to be imposed in the former Fata region.

This loaded wish-list is, pretty understandably, not acceptable to Pakistan which has suffered at the hands of terror outfits and lost more than 80,000 lives in some of the most horrific terror acts in the country, including the December 2014 APS Peshawar attack in which nearly 150 innocent people, mainly schoolchildren, were martyred. Moreover, the damages to the economy and infrastructure as well as the displacement ordeal suffered by more than three million tribesmen are a national tragedy. Thus, the civil-military duo harnessed consensus in peace but refused to take in dictation on terms detrimental to national interests. This manifesto has, in unanimity, sent the right signals to impugned characters at home and abroad.

Pakistan is eager for peace but it should not be interpreted as its weakness. As Islamabad had always called for a political solution in the war-torn Afghanistan, these talks with the dreaded elements are an extension of that policy. The onus is on the militias to read between the lines, and respect the largesse that Pakistan is willing to exhibit for the sake of regional peace and security. The meeting was right in conveying that it will not settle for anything less than surrendering of arms and compliance with the law of land. Pakistan has simply furthered the envelope in good faith.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2022.

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