Sir: Media reports have revealed that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakeemullah Mehsud has been killed in a drone strike, which may lead to a disruption in peace talks. Pakistan has made its position clear on the fact that drone strikes have constituted a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and international humanitarian laws, besides being counter-productive to Pakistan’s efforts to bring peace and stability to the country and the region. However, I think this is another major achievement in eliminating the terrorist groups. The founder of TTP, Baitullah Mehsud, along with his wife, was also killed in a drone strike. October 11, 2013 was the day when another senior commander of the TTP, Latifullah Mehsud, was captured in northeastern Afghanistan by US forces.
The continuous drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas are against the sovereignty of Pakistan but, on the other hand, one must acknowledge the achievements in taking on the group head-on. If the Taliban is complaining about the drone strikes and they want peace talks, that means they are really getting affected by the attacks. The TTP contains not more than two or three dozen men; their strength lies in the other militant groups, which have not merged into the TTP officially but support the organisation. Most of the time, these other groups do not accept the TTP’s stance on certain issues. It has been seen in the past couple of months that the TTP itself is losing its support from the other groups, and the selection of the new commander-in-chief of the TTP is another example. Militant groups are getting confused; they really are losing each other’s support. There are some groups who support peace talks with the government but most of them are still against it. So the question still remains: who are we going to talk to? Ultimately, the Taliban will have no other option but to come to the table. Some reports published in the international media state that some countries, which have been financing the majority of militant groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and parts of Africa, have stopped the money. Therefore, the groups are getting weaker day by day.
JAVED ALI KALHORO
Islamabad