Rehman Malik calls uopn Taliban to nominate their real representatives. PHOTO: PID / FILE
Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday called upon the Taliban to nominate their real representatives if they are serious about negotiations with the government.
Malik said the Taliban have nominated Adnan Rashid, a proclaimed offender, for holding talks with the government on their behalf. Rashid had escaped from police custody in Bannu, and was the mastermind behind an assassination attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf in 2003.
“The Taliban have nominated a murderer and proclaimed offender for talks,” he told media representative on Saturday.
Malik also advised the militia’s factions to cobble together a team for negotiations.
The minister said the government would welcome any Taliban move to initiate the dialogue process before the upcoming elections.
Answering a question‚ the interior minister said Pakistan wants good relations with India on the basis of equality. To a question, he said the hanging of Muhammad Afzal Guru was the decision of the Indian court‚ hence he will not comment on it.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2013.
COMMENTS (3)
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Commentator after commentator obsesses over the fate of the peace process (Kabul, Tribal Area and Waziristan) ?
What peace process?
Where is the peace ?
Where butchers of the Waziristan vanished ?
Where are media pundits who warned of the doomsday regarding Waziristan fanatics ?
Where are those who used to tell us that next military operation, next drone attack, next jet bombing, next road blocks, next IDPs wave would result in peace and then
miracle jump-start of the Waziristan development ?
Who and how the interests of those ruling (and ruining) Waziristan from Peshawar, Greater Mardan, Pindi, Islamabad and Lahore was so often, so successfully, and so
deliberately confused with the interests of the Af-Pak masses ?
Why it took 10 years to recognise that US War for terro as foolish, fiasco, tragic, deeply dehumanising and ultimately unwinnable ?
How much time, how much money and how many lives have been wasted in Waziristan ?
Why we kept on killing and destroying our own people in the pursuit of this unending and unwinnable war of terror?
Why did not we resort to negotiations earlier through which we could have brought peace and prosperity to the region and the country?
The leader of the Coalition of the Willing and his other equally willing accomplices unleashed evil on Waziristan and Af-Pak masses . Nearly a million and half lives
extinguished and several countries totally wrecked in the name of peace and fighting terror, not to mention the shining examples of upholding the UN Rights Charter and
Geneva Conventions with Abu Ghraib, Bagram Jail, Guantanamo Bay, rendition, waterboarding and Waziristan Drones.
'Historical events occur twice, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce'. Karl Marx
Neo-colonial war crimes and human rights violation under Obamite/Bushite was a great tragedy for the region ; and now Peace talks, if anything, is a great farce.
Peace and stability will never return to Af-Pak as long as Waziristan war crimes, Genocide and aggression against humanity is not understood and fully exposed. We must
know why, how and who have ravaged Waziristan during past decade in our name, in name of peace, in name of Pakistan.
We were supposed to fail in winning US War for Terror and is bound to fail for peace again, and in the process the masses will suffer more and more.
"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his
farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it
is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship,
or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is
tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Gen Hermann Goering - Nuremberg Diary (Farrar, Straus & Co 1947), by Gustave Gilbert (an Allied appointed psychologist)
They're serious. They haven't, a single time, ever said it was a give and take kind of talk. They're completely serious about you talking to them and in the end meeting their demands.
Kudos to Mr Malik for refusing to comment Afzal Guru's hanging as it is the first time the Pak IM has acted with maturity and political wisdom.