Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in a press conference stated that the framework for dialogue with the Taliban has been prepared by the federal government. He further elaborated that the proposed dialogue with the Taliban would be “integrated and all-encompassing”. He welcomed Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid’s positive response to the government’s offer. It is reported that a high level meeting of TTP’s top leadership will soon be convened in order to discuss the Pakistani government’s overtures to hold talks in order to establish peace in the country. Nisar mentioned the fact that the decision to hold talks with the TTP was made after a joint resolution was passed by the representatives of all major political parties in Pakistan in the All Parties Conference (APC). He dispelled rumours of any foreign influence in reaching this decision. Pakistan’s army chief, General Kiyani, and DG ISI, Lt-General Zaheer-ul-Islam, briefed the political leadership about national security issues in the APC. It is believed that the military establishment and political leadership are in agreement on the way forward.
The consensus reached between all major political parties and also between the army and the federal government regarding how to deal with the TTP are propitious signs. Pakistan has been facing the scourge of terrorism for decades. In the process more than 40,000 citizens and 5,000 security forces personnel have lost their lives. Terrorism has also taken a heavy toll on Pakistan’s economy and global image. In such a grave situation, it seems as if Pakistan’s political class has finally risen above petty politics and shown unity to seriously address terrorism that has metastasized and grown worse over time. Clarity of thought is being manifested by the federal government and a clear plan of action has been presented to the people. A difference of opinion between the military establishment and the political leadership was noticed in recent times as the former was in favour of using force whereas the latter favoured negotiations. However, it seems that a compromise has been reached and all have agreed to hold talks with the TTP and in case these talks fail, only then to use force against them. Interestingly, a common narrative is often floated around according to which Pakistan is portrayed as having nothing to do with the war on terror and that this war has been imposed on us. Nisar in his press conference lent support to this narrative and went even further in saying that some ‘big powers’ were trying to sabotage the peace process in Pakistan. It should be noted that such a narrative is naïve to say the least as the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was captured in Rawalpindi in 2003. Moroever, the raid carried out to get Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad only reiterated the fact that Pakistan could not absolve itself of its responsibility in this conflict that has hurt Pakistan the most.
The question comes down to whether this new resolve to hold talks with the TTP will bear fruit or not. Past experience makes one sceptical about this venture’s success. Previously, talks with the Taliban have consistently failed. This was because the TTP used negotiations as delaying tactics to mobilize its forces to launch new offensives or because the terms of agreements were violated by either Pakistan’s military or the TTP. For talks to be successful, it is necessary that military and civilian institutions effectively coordinate with each other. This has been one of the major reasons why Pakistan has not been able to tackle this problem so far. If the civilian leadership is kept in the dark about security and intelligence matters, then it would continue to lose credibility in the eyes of the TTP. Another obstacle is to determine which factions of the TTP are amenable to negotiations. It is believed that many new sub-groups of TTP have emerged that function independently. The federal government’s efforts for rapprochement are positive signs but it is a long way to go before any substantial results can be achieved. *