Sir: Some US sources have revealed that Latifullah Mehsud, the deputy commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has been arrested in Afghanistan in a US army raid when he was returning after having talks with Afghan government officials. Latifullah Mehsud is considered to be the right hand man of Hakeemullah Mehsud. Reports also state that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not happy with this act of the US forces, as talks between TTP and Afghan officials were being held upon his personal wish and were very close to a fruitful result. Latifullah Mehsud’s arrest is being considered as another milestone after Osama bin Laden’s killing. The TTP positioned Latifullah to work as a conduit between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban. This action may have implications for Pakistan as the country is trying to get the TTP to talk in order to promote peace. One must look at the complete scenario: Pakistan is trying to implement the peace process in this region whereas other nations are doing nothing but blaming Pakistan for wanting to bring the Taliban to the table for dialogue.
There have been many achievements by the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan’s intelligence sharing. Though the relationship between the Pakistani and US security forces has been bellicose, both the forces enjoy full support to target terrorist spots. Since the US itself is going for talks with the Taliban and other militant groups, it must acknowledge other nations wanting to do the same. In the next year, about 40,000 NATO troops will be leaving Afghanistan and the security assignments will be transferred to the Afghan forces. Pakistan will have to continue its support for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, which ultimately benefits Pakistan. Therefore, the US needs to continue its full support of Pakistan.
JAVED ALI KALHORO
Islamabad