File photo of Imran Khan. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will stick to its stance over talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as it believes that it is the best, yet a difficult option to defeat terror in the country.
“Military operations have never been a solution to any problem, especially involving one’s own people,” observed PTI President of Religious Affairs Saad Khursheed Khan.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Saad Khan said that PTI leaders will convince religious scholars over his party’s stance to end drone strikes and initiating talks with Taliban which was endorsed by the All Parties Conference (APC) last month.
“We will prepare a solid strategy to curb terrorism and extremism in our national conference,” he said while briefing the media about the proposed national conference PTI is to hold on Saturday, October 5.
Earlier, Imran Khan in his article for an English newspaper on Wednesday cited the ‘debacle’ of East Pakistan to back his view that military operations are never a solution to any problem. “The debacle of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which led to the breakup of our country, left me with a strong conviction that military operations are never a solution to any problem, least of all involving one’s own people.”
The PTI chief further said that starting with a structured dialogue, APC provided legitimacy for a holistic approach. He added that military action and war are always the last resort.
Concerning good and bad Taliban, PTI Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari said that her party’s point of view on talks with the Taliban is that we need to identify and separate those groups willing to initiate a dialogue with the government and those not prepared to move beyond their agenda of violence, so that the latter can be isolated and dealt with.
Dr Mazari further said that “we need to have a structured approach towards dialogue, and therefore, those groups which are willing to negotiate should be identified and brought together on a common platform.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2013.
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I dont believe this man.
@MJ: It's irony of fate that these type of people we have in our country who are damaging the image of Pakistan and brotherhood among Pakistanis.If PTI and it's supporter want to join taliban what are they doing here? they should shift to FATA and Waziristan.This outfit having such idealogy is fatal for Pakistan and our countrymen.PTI should be eradicated if we want peace throughout the country.
East Pakistanis were "Pakistanis", won the elections and believed in the rule of law. Taliban are mostly foreigners, or residents of FATA who don't consider themselves Pakistanis. They don't believe in our constitution or law. They should be dealt like foreign enemies. PTI and its followers are disillusioned owing to this twisted logic of IK or whoever controls IK.
Friends of taliban.IK is ignorant person.He doesn't have sense.When will he learn from his past foolies.Darbari maskhara.
i agree that “Military operations have never been a solution to any problem" as Mr.Imran Khan has stated, reason being that our homeland was created from the political sagacity of our Jinnah and the visionary thought as well as the two-nation theory of our Allama Iqbal. we have to assert such a concept. afterall we are more in number then the militant taliban.
The comparison of East Pakistan scenario with Taliban by IK is preposterous. Bangladeshis launched their freedom movement due to suppressive policies and barbarities committed by the security forces on them by the Federal Govt in West Pakistan. In the Taliban's case, their agenda is not supported by the people of the country and moreover they are killing innocent people, whereas security forces are on the defensive in their approach against these barbarians.
Those who do not follow the constitution of the country are Imran's men . What a base less comparision with Bagladesi .
Now Mr. IK is comparing the Taliban with the antagonists of erstwhile East Pakistan....!!! Now in that case one can say for sure that this is the beginning of THE END.
But a huge majority of people who are fighting against the State are not Talebans but ordinary people who lost their loved ones in this fight against(of) terror
Since when blowing own self in the Market, Mosque or Church considered fighting against state ? :O
@sabi: so you're saying that after the elections all of a sudden the East Pakistan assembly decided to vote for indpendence?? I salute your naivete.
may this the reason that action is being taken against talibans by Rangers and Police...they are good talibans are allowed to do the scared duty in karachi
@MA: Nice comment.
The people blame PTI for aligning with TTP.....that's a big joke. However, they themselves forget that their parties have militant wings. Almost all parties have militant wings except PTI. Now since PTI did not have a militant wing they decided to malign PTI by saying that they support TTP. What a shame!
@waseem: Isn't he the same Mr Ayaz Amir, who upon being refused an election ticket, from PML-N threw his support behind PTI and Imran Khan in last elections!
Mr. Imran khan people like you are responsible for failure of millitary operations. . No nation can win war if it is divided and its leaders appease enemies just to get themselves safe and unharmed. .your stance doesn't show your acumen, it shows your cowardice!
@Tanzeel: "There is no such thing as Good or Bad Taliban, in first place whatever agenda Taleban are pursuing is illegal and violent. Why they took arms and what demands have they made has no excuse"
does that mean all political parties are bad now,eh! Since majority of the political workers carry weapons, some have militant wings and even their top leadership has confessed that they have no control over their workers.. just because they live in big cities, they should be let go scotfree.
majority of people in FATA and North West carry weapons but not all of them are Talebans. When somebody kills innocent people and their families for no reason, they don't sit back....they go out and seek revenge. yes there are groups who believe in violence and don't accept the State's writ. But a huge majority of people who are fighting against the State are not Talebans but ordinary people who lost their loved ones in this fight against(of) terror. its time to understand and accept the underlying facts before passing on our judgements, from our cosy & air conditioned rooms, about who is right and who is wrong.
@Junaid: You remembered Zardari's last interview but not Imran Khan's speeches and his numerous interviews from last many years. Shows your lack of attention you've been paying and mere cherry picking to find a reason to write something to malign PTI.
How can IK compare today's situation with Taliban with East Pakistan!! i always fail to understand this guy's logic.
I am doing PhD in Norway with Bangladeshi fellow and obviously discuss a lot. comparing current situation with East Pakistan Totally Make Sense
@sabi: As Mr Ayaz Amir said the other day.... reading IK statements, even Rana Sana Ullah sounds saner and inteelectual.
Probably the only viable option is to talk. Military results are in front of us. And the economy is spirally downwards. The country needs to build its institutions. The very institutions which made PIA a top performing airline, when railways was an acceptable mode of travel, when the country built the largest dams of the world, when squash champions reigned the world, when our hockey team won Gold medals at Olympics, when are art and culture was allowed to flourish, and when we had real tourists. And to build these institutions, we need the right people to head the right organizations. There is enough juice and talent in the country that all this can be done, achieved without employees being laid off. Build the country first.
I remember Zardari saying this in his last interview as President. The question is, why has it taken the PTI so long to realise that you can't negotiate with all of them. Pakistan is not up for negotiation.
“Military operations have never been a solution to any problem, especially involving one’s own people,” Please, please, please.....There are Tajik, Arabic, etc too,..,Do you Own them too? Offer them office, offer them nationality too?
Good and Bad Taliban exists. Following are good or bad ? http://tribune.com.pk/story/612912/15-killed-several-injured-in-hangu-suicide-attack/
Taliban represents less than one percent of the total population of the country yet they want that country's constitution be revised as per their dictates. Don't see how the the talks if materialize, would proceed. It might be a better idea if the agenda is finalized, may be another APC before actual talks begin.
tribal supporting tribals and tribals not understanding tribal because tribals are brain fees
There is no such thing as Good or Bad Taliban, in first place whatever agenda Taleban are pursuing is illegal and violent. Why they took arms and what demands have they made has no excuse. Allowing dialogue with the BRUTAL FORCE that killed more people than drones in Pakistan is actually an attempt to bring them in streamline which could be more disastrous than before. Last but not least, equating Taleban with the people of East Pakistan is an insult to the people of Bangladesh.
it is disingenious of IK to compare the situation in then East pakistan to the one prevalent in FATA. The people in EP were fighting for their rights and recognition as equal citizens. They were not killing the rest of their country men for this purpose. TTP's agenda on the other hand is quite different and to compare the two reflects badly on the intellect and/or the intentions of IK. IK has list my vote for next time!
PTI, your sense of history is wrong. Political power has always flown out from the barrels of the guns till national goals are achieved. And why you always refer to them as our " own people " ? Does it need an Aristotle to understand that your own people will never settle for anything less than either they rule the country in their way or are totally eliminated. A saying goes " there is a tide in the affairs of men which, if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries"
Imran is comparing apples with oranges i.e East Pakistan situation with Taliban.
Absolutely Talks is the only viable option for peace...Operation is already going on and accelerating operation against ttp will create chaos in the entire country...Militants from other countries can benefit from the situation like as we see in syria....People who want peace would like to find a political solution...even syrians are convinced that fighting can give a decisive victory we are facing an amorphous enemy...
Indeed military operations have never been a solution. dialogue is the only way out and that's why PTI and PML have been voted for..!
In east Pakistan it was the elected assembly,the parliament which decided to get away with Pakistan.Now is Taliban not accepting any assembly of representative or parliament and even constitution.There is no comparison between east Pakistan debacle and menace of terrorism created by ideologists under the cover of Taliban.If this is the standard of leadership one can only feel sympathy with those being fooled.
Looks like PTI is slowly trying to change its well-worn tune regarding talks. Not clever at all.