Attack on servicemen: Plot afoot to torpedo peace talks with Taliban: Fazl

Says the attack is an attempt to keep the army engaged in FATA indefinitely.

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Sunday warned of a plot hatched within the country and abroad to sabotage the nascent peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban.

Speaking for his JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the party’s spokesperson Jan Achakzai said Sunday’s attack in Upper Dir, which claimed the lives of three army officers including a major general and a lieutenant colonel, was part of a bigger conspiracy.

“It is an attempt to keep the army engaged in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) forever. There are conspirators inside Pakistan and abroad who do not want to see the talks succeed,” said Achakzai.

The Upper Dir attack took place as the JUI-F chief welcomed the release of Taliban prisoners by the government and ‘ceasefire’ by the Taliban as a positive first step. However, the government and the army were steadfast in the resolve to go ahead with peace talks with the Taliban.“Soon the government will unveil a plan for the peace talks,” said Achakzai. Quoting Fazl, the spokesperson said it was a test of our national resolve not to let the sacrifices of our officers go to waste.

Malakand pullout

In a show of rare support for a decision by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government, the JUI-F chief endorsed the provincial government’s announcement to withdraw the army from Malakand division. Even after the Dir attack, Fazl said the pullout of armed forces from the area would complement the prospects of peace talks with the Taliban. “It would further contribute towards confidence-building.

Civil administration should have taken control in Malakand earlier,” said Fazl. The JUI-F chief said the announcement to pull out from the Malakand division came at the right time. After initiating operation in 2009, the army intended to establish cantonments in the area. “A lot would depend on the success of peace talks with the Taliban, ” said the JUI-F chief. Fazl said the army’s pullout from tribal areas would pave the way for civilian and border peace organisations to achieve their goals.

“It is the responsibility of the provincial government to provide security to people,” he added. The JUI-F chief suggested that any elements from across the border that were inclined towards engaging in peace talks should be encouraged.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2013.