Strike while the iron is hot

Govt should restart stalled talks with the dissident groups to ensure they stick with their decision to abandon TTP.

Could this be the beginning of the end? The battle against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) took a decisive turn on May 28 with the pulling out of a major group from the umbrella organisation. The ‘Mehsud group’ of the TTP was a key part of the TTP in terms of providing manpower for the battle against the state as well as the territory for safe havens for TTP leaders in their stronghold of North Waziristan and other key areas straddling the Pakistan-Afghan border. The group, under the leadership of Khalid Said Sajna, who is now also being referred to as Khalid Mehsud, has not only broken away from the TTP, but, more importantly, denounced the TTP’s terror policies and its use of kidnapping and extortion for funding.



Trouble had been brewing within the organisation for a while before the announcement — some say since the death of Baitullah Mehsud in 2009. Things worsened with the death of Hakeemullah in 2013 and came to a head early this year with scores killed in TTP infighting. But what does this mean exactly? There is little doubt that this bodes well for peace efforts, especially given that other major groups of the TTP are expected to join the Mehsuds — including the notorious Haqqani Network. The TTP’s main strength lay in their unity and presence in a number of areas of the country — but with the Mehsuds out, the ramifications are obvious.

The talks with the TTP will have played a major role in the division, with many reports suggesting that the Mehsud group was more inclined towards peace talks and negotiation as opposed to TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah. An opportunity has presented itself. On the one hand, it is important to restart the stalled talks process with the dissident groups to ensure they stick with their decision to abandon the TTP; and on the other, going after what remains of the TTP has become a lot less complicated, given that North Waziristan seems more secure with the turning of the Mehsud group. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The government must strike while the iron is hot.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2014.

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