Policy matters: Talks with Taliban executive’s choice says LHC

Petitioner says the court should direct the government to start peace negotiations.

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Wednesday refused to issue directions to the federal government to start a dialogue with the Taliban and to allow them to open a public office in the country.

The chief justice said whether or not to start dialogue with the Taliban was a policy issue. He said the Supreme Court had ruled that courts could not interfere in policy matters except where was a clear violation of fundamental rights or the law.



The chief justice observed that an All Parties Conference (APC) had passed a resolution in this regard. He said representative institutions should deal with this issue.

The counsel for the petitioner insisted that the court issue a notice to the government. The chief justice told him cite a law that empowered the court to issue such an order.

Advocate Kashif Mehmood Solomani had filed the petition, requesting the court to order the federal government to start a dialogue with the Taliban. He had also asked the court to allow the militant group to open an office in the country.

He had named the federation of Pakistan, the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance as respondents.

The petitioner said taking action against the Taliban without holding a dialogue with them was a grave mistake.



He said the respondents should talk with the Taliban to ensure peace in the country.

He said since 9/11, when Pakistan agreed to become ally in the United States’ War on Terror, the country had suffered huge losses to its economy.

He said 49,000 lives had been lost in Pakistan since the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the US on 9/11.

He said more than 24,000 people had been killed in attacks during 2001 and 2008.

He said the armed forces had suffered 15,681 casualties in the fight against Taliban militants in Tribal Areas since 2008.

He said as many as 5,152 civilians had been killed and 5,678 injured in insurgent attacks since 2008.

He said demands for Pakistani exports had fallen and foreign investment in the country had slowed down.

He said the government was delaying the start of dialogue.

He said the military operation in Tribal Areas had failed.

He also said since Taliban denied involvement in the three recent bombings in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, the government should investigate who was behind those attacks.

The hearing was adjourned till next month.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2013.