Whether the government is actually holding peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or not — the TTP’s deputy chief says it is, while the group’s spokesman and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik say they aren’t — the fact remains that negotiating with the militant outfit is a profoundly unwise idea. If there is one thing previous peace agreements have taught us, it is that the Taliban use them as a ruse to regroup and then return to action as soon as they have regained a position of strength. To allow them to do so, once again, would show that we are unable to learn from previous mistakes. What makes speculation of peace talks even more disturbing is that they are accompanied by Taliban claims that the government has released 145 militants as a goodwill gesture. If true, this is indeed very worrying. Goodwill gestures need to come from the TTP, in the form of a complete halt to violence, not the government.
It is true that there has been a reduction in the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan this year but that is no reason for us to be lulled into a false sense of security. We should be especially wary of any Taliban peace overtures at this time of the month. There is no way of knowing if the sudden desire for negotiation stems from a genuine desire to compromise or a need to survive the harsh winters of the tribal areas.
It is also very counterproductive that we would be so conciliatory towards the TTP at the same time that we are taking an increasingly hard line against the US. Not only have the Americans been forced to vacate Shamsi Airbase, the military leadership has now given orders that any drones flying in Pakistani airspace should be shot down. If talks indeed are taking place, it would clearly imply that we now consider the US to be a far greater threat than the Taliban. Equally clearly, that is a mistaken impression that we need to rectify before it’s too late.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2011.
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what we should have learned from the swat episode was not to lose our sense of perspective and rationality in the future and not to start panicked attacks which do not control terrorism but rather, create more terrorists and lead us to commit more atrocities. also, we should learn to listen to the voice of the people. there was a power vacuum which was filled by mullah fazlullah and the government crackdown spurred them on to adopt extreme measures as the people sided with them. i am not condoning mullah fazlullah but the people wanted nizaam-e-mustafa, the system which at least guaranteed them welfare in terms of free,quick justice systems and peace. the government severely mishandled the situation and the media played its role to exaggerate the situation and use the scare tactic with urban people who have no knowledge or understanding of such matters.
@malik: I think you are right and the Ed is factual. Thanks @Zmaray: I feel your pain but please do not classify all Pakhtuns as Taliban. I have several close Pakhtun friends and they hate Taliban and all rightwing militants. I have been an active supporter of Bacha Khan and Wali Khan all my life and they are liberal secular. Thanks and regards, Mirza
Taliban are not Pakistanis for GOD sake, read history! They migrated from Afghanistan for jihad training during afghan War.
@malik: So you propose we should continue fighting the war for America and continue killing our own people. If that's not your point then I don't see any alternative to making peace with our own people, in either your comment or this article. One thing more, people who consider all those people being terrorists, who are being killed by our army or by the US, they extremely misguided and it's a similar situation as in 1971, people from West Pakistan considered all Bengalis as traitors while at the same time our own army were slaughtering 2 million of them including elderly, children and women and raping tens of thousands of women. We should wake up as a nation and open our eyes, it's not only just about Taliban now, it's about Pakhtuns and Pakhtuns are no Bengalis, they will make the whole country on fire if their house continue to burn.
Dear writer, So by proposing not to consider America as a threat to our country and not to talk to Taliban, you can somehow solve the ongoing problem?? if you don't mean that then I don't see any alternative solution that you have given in your article. Never ever has any war like this been solved by military in human history and this is gonna be solved only by dialogue. So please stop spreading this propaganda and look into your own conscience and decide what's do you want to achieve by this!!
Another spot-on analysis! Haven't we learned from the Swat peace agreement in 2009 that led to the militants' coming within a few miles of Islamabad? Perhaps, the inconsistent statements coming from various quarters affirming or denying the conduct of such talks could be a way of testing the waters (public opinion). After all, the government's Lennon-inspired, threadbare "let's give peace a chance" mantra was proclaimed uncritically in the heat of the moment, when yet again pusilanimous politicians came together to protect the security establishment. Before dabbling into peace talks, the government must make sure that it has all the wherewithal and political courage to back up its words. It's high time to be negotiating from a position of strength, not out of fear and short-sighted expediency.