Daily Times

Sir: With the emergence of militant groups in our country, our government has tried to negotiate with them. To restore peace, Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has set up a committee for reconciliation with the TTP. There are many objections to the choice of committee members for negotiation. Terrorism is a matter of concern for the whole nation so the government must include all political factions in its committee. It should include members from all political parties whether they are in opposition or not. As we already know, many sects in Islam exist in our society; they are considered anti-Taliban and are a bone of contention in sectarian problems due to ideological differences. Hence, members from all religious sects must also be included in the committee as citizens of this land. After the emergence of Pakistan, many people belonging to different religions preferred to live in Pakistan, like Sikhs, Christians and Hindus, who are not only honourable citizens of this state but also enjoy seats in the National and provincial Assemblies and the rights of citizenship according to the constitution of 1973. They play a vital role in the progress of Pakistan according to the vision of Jinnah and Iqbal but, unfortunately, every government has ignored their fundamental rights because of the influence of so-called theologians. A similar case is found in the final committee negotiating with the Taliban.

The most important point about the negligence of our government with regard to the committee is that the government did not advance one member from the minorities. If we look into the history of attacks by the Taliban and its other militant wings, minorities were the most affected. Their sacred places and families were on top of terrorist lists. If they sacrificed for Pakistan then why did the government not include even a single member from the minorities in this committee? Is it a democratic norm to ignore minorities who are not only the stakeholders but also have sacrificed for decades for Pakistan and their rights? The government should set up a new committee adopting democratic norms in which members from all political parties, sects and religions must be a part. The government should give importance to the representation of all citizens on an equal level without any biases. Nobody must be allowed to humiliate any school of thought due to differences in religious or political matters. We should learn a lesson from the causes of the separation of East Pakistan and not revisit them.

CHANGEZI SANDHU

Lahore