Striving for peace

The cabinet’s decision to steer clear of any “emotional” decisions makes sense.

There is much to agree with as concerns the statement made by Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif to the special session of the federal cabinet, called on November 4. There can be no doubt that Pakistan has paid the highest price amongst all nations in the world, and badly needs a sustainable and durable peace. There can also be no doubt at all that national interest needs to be put at the top of the priority list or as PM Sharif commented outside the cabinet meeting, that unleashing “senseless violence” served no purpose. The cabinet’s decision to steer clear of any radical shift in policies towards the US or any “emotional” decisions also makes sense. It is good to see some logic at work.



Overall, the cabinet has decided to continue to pursue the peace process with the Taliban, as per the decision made in September at an All Parties Conference. It is, of course, the prerogative of the government we have elected to make decisions. But while doing so, it would do well to also look at the past and the outcome of decisions taken then. We have seen one peace accord after the other reached with the militants break down. This holds true for both agreements made with the military and civilian set-ups. One of the latest examples comes from North Waziristan, where a peace accord between security forces and militant groups reached in 2006 seems to be in danger of collapse as reports come in of cross-firing, casualties and a warning by militants to local people of a possible increase in hostilities.

This record should make us think. The argument goes that peace deals have in the past provided the militants time and space to regroup, reorganise and strike back with still greater force. It is always wise to avoid repeating the same mistakes over and over again. The PM and the cabinet would do well to take heed of this, as they consider what is the most realistic way to eradicate militancy and restore the peace our nation so badly needs if it is to escape its current state of crisis. The cycle of violence needs to come to an end for us to move forward in any manner. We cannot afford a repeat of past events yet again.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2013.

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