Olive branch for TTP: Flexibility on both sides key to sustainable peace, says speakers

‘Challenge for govt lies in forming an agreement acceptable to the military’.

ISLAMABAD:

There is a chance for the new government to reach a peace deal with the militants only if both sides show flexibility with their demands, opined a panel discussing “post election security situation and challenges” on Tuesday.

The meeting, organised by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), discussed the challenges faced by the incoming government to hammer out a feasible peace agreement with the militants, which would also be acceptable to the security establishment.

PIPS Executive Director Muhammad Amir Rana said, “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wants to reduce the scale of violence in the country in order to revive the economy and have smooth governance, however, a sustainable peace agreement is uncertain based on past experiences.”

Also mentioning the scattered nature of militancy he said that since all the militants do not come under Tehreek-e-Taliban’s (TTP) command, chances of reaching a workable deal are slim.

Talking about the demands put forward by TTP, he said it will be difficult for the government to accept them all. The militant outfit insists on release of its prisoners, enforcement of Shariah and wants to reclaim the territory it lost during military operations.



The government on the other hand wants TTP to give up their arms and expel or provide a guarantee for the foreign militants that have been provided a sanctuary in the region.

Rana said the success of the reconciliation process will be determined by various factors including the previous agreements, present demands and flexibility shown by both sides.

Security analyst at PIPS Hassan Khan was of the view that TTP does not have clear demands and neither does it have a defined political wing for negotiations with the state. The government will at most accept a few of their demands, he added.

“The future will be beyond political posturing and public statements and the government most probably will try to isolate the militants from the public and push them to certain areas after meeting some of their demands,” he stated.

He also underlined that the military establishment has a different approach for handling the issue, and that it will never compromise on the sacrifices it has rendered in the fight against militancy.

Shedding light over the main reason for militancy in tribal regions, Khan said that militants took advantage of the administrative and judicial vacuum that was present in the tribal region from day one. He added that there are various other aspects of security threats including sectarianism, ethnic insurgency and extremism which should be dealt by the government accordingly.

Also present in the meeting, Defence Attaché of Sweden Colonel Anders G Walden, said that Pakistani military is more concerned about Karachi than the situation of tribal areas, which he claimed are becoming unmanageable.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2013.