The stated reason behind the TTP’s refusal to continue its ceasefire is its claim that the government has not acted upon their demands, including the freeing of ‘non-combatant’ TTP members currently in the custody of security forces and continued military action against them. But what of the release of close to 20 detainees by the government late last month in three phases? As for the possible view that 20 prisoners is a small amount, it can also be pointed out that, in return, the TTP has not released a single non-combatant prisoner that it is holding. If it is the pace of the release it is concerned with, then why didn’t it reciprocate? It has already been stated in this space that the government has done a majority of the compromise and has always taken that extra step to assuage the suspicions of the TTP, but the latter has done nothing but announce a ceasefire — and that too has now ended. As for the complaint that security forces continue to launch sporadic, small-scale attacks on the TTP and its associated groups, then it can also be pointed out that the TTP’s associated groups have launched attacks during the ceasefire — but that did not result in the government ending talks or calling off its ceasefire (Lest we forget that just before the ceasefire started, the military was in the middle of intense aerial bombardment — which has been halted).
Now it has come to light that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will himself meet with the TTP’s representative committee in Islamabad in a bid to sort this matter out. Perhaps, he needs to explain to them the concept of quid-pro-quo. In any case, it seems that the process is now back to square one — talking about talks. And that is frustrating given the supposed gains made when the government’s negotiation team met directly with the TTP Shura last month in a meeting that was supposed to break new ground and narrow the trust deficit. Many voices that have long been sceptical of the talks have held their peace in the last few weeks in the bid to give the government and the pro-talks lobby the opportunity to act out their theories. There seemed to be progress a few weeks ago — but it turns out that movement has clearly been circular.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2014.
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Unfortunately, the government does not seem to be serious in pursuing peace talks