Nascent peace process: Taliban infighting hampering talks, says Sami

Says differences not linked to peace dialogue; TTP willing to talk.

ISLAMABAD:

The Taliban’s chief intermediary Maulana Samiul Haq admitted on Sunday that the infighting in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has ‘created obstacles’ for the fragile peace process. Bloody clashes pitted loyalists of senior commanders Khan Said Mehsud, alias Sajna, and Sheharyar Mehsud, who both want TTP’s leadership in South Waziristan Agency.

Initially, fissures appeared after the death of TTP’s deputy chief and the group’s head honcho in South Waziristan, Waliur Rehman Mehsud in a US drone strike in May last year. However, the differences deepened after the death of TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud, also in a drone attack in November last year.

Deadly clashes between the two factions forced TTP chief Maulvi Fazlullah to remove Sajna and appoint Sheikh Khalid Haqqani as interim TTP chief for South Waziristan. However, Sajna reportedly refused to accept Fazlullah’s orders.

Fazlullah, who Pakistani officials believe, operates from Afghanistan’s border region, had also assigned Omar Khalid Khurasani, TTP chief for Mohmand Agency, to settle disputes between the rival factions, says Taliban leader Sajjad Mohmand.

Maulana Samiul Haq, the head of the Taliban intermediary committee, says the TTP infighting has created ‘difficulties’ for peace talks. “Two factions within the Taliban had old differences and it took a violent turn as both sides took up arms against each other,” he told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“We have also mediated to end their infighting which has a deep negative impact on the dialogue process. They do not have any differences over the dialogue with the government but their previous differences led to some violent incidents,” he said. “The Taliban are willing to talk and we are ready to suggest a venue for the next round [of direct talks].”

Another Taliban intermediary, Prof Muhammad Ibrahim, had earlier said that the government would decide the date and venue for the second face-to-face talks. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told a news conference last week that it was for the TTP to pick the date and venue for second round of talks.

He also said that the government was moving to resurrect the stalled process. Irritants and bottlenecks aside, Maulana Sami says Nisar’s statement has revived their hopes.  “We are ready to decide the date and venue for the next round of talks. We’re not disappointed as the Taliban are willing to continue talks,” he added.

Maulana Sami said the government had been silent on the dialogue over the past few weeks and “we thought it has closed the chapter. However, Chaudhry Nisar’s statement has rekindled hopes for the revival of the process.”

Asked if the government was ready to accept the TTP’s two major demands – release of non-combatant prisoners and establishment of a peace zone in South Waziristan, Maulana Sami said the government was ready to discuss these issues in the next round. “We expect some progress on these issues when the government negotiators and the Taliban leaders come face-to-face for a second round of talks,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2014.