PTM Jirga

The PTM's two-day Jirga in Khyber Agency had kept the government and security apparatus on the tenterhooks. It is, however, a good omen that it went ahead peacefully, with both sides exhibiting an exceptional understanding, making it an example for further interactions with estranged elements in the socio-political realm. The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, nonetheless, vented out its anger against the system in vogue, boasting a sizeable gathering despite all odds.

The last-minute thaw between the government and the PTM that surprisingly saw a ban slapped on the latter rescinded, and the government representatives – the K-P governor, the CM and the federal interior minister – appearing on the stage helped mellow down the anti-state sentiments to a great extent. Last but not least, the participation of political representatives from various mainstream parties, including Baloch rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch, underlined the necessity of looking into Pakhtoon grievances, and the highhandedness that they are experiencing over the period of time.

It goes without saying that the revulsion in Afghanistan and the war on terror, coupled with home-grown terrorism, have devastated the region and its polity and warrant a political solution. Likewise, the PTM has been in the eye of the storm and its politics of extremism has always kept it on the run. But it was soothing to note that an undeclared accord with the party helped it come on the same page with the state. Thus, there was no crackdown on PTM, and its supporters from across K-P and Balochistan were free to travel up to Jamrud, the venue of the Jirga.

The question is: why can't this module be emulated with other opposition political forces, especially the PTI? The cooperation between the PTM and the state must graduate to a broader consensus on dealing with dissent, and addressing it in the parameters of law and the Constitution. The onus is now on the PTM to walk the talk and show that it believes in a negotiated solution under the writ of the Constitution, and refrain from playing the geopolitical card of otherness.