Daily Times

A few weeks back, when the notorious Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) made headlines by selecting three prominent political leaders for negotiations, many eyebrows were raised. How in the world Mian Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Syed Munawwar Hassan were vetted by the TTP is a question that perplexed many minds, including this scribe. Either the TTP sees something in common with them or these leaders must have given some impression, some signal for a reconciliatory process. Amazingly, the champion of such ‘peace talks’ with the brutes, the flag bearer of change, Mr Imran Khan was totally ignored by the TTP.

First and foremost, I have a fundamental issue. To address the brutes under the umbrella of a name like ‘Tehreek’ (movement), is an insult to many victims. The entity is not a political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan and not contesting for any elections. The only movement they have made so far is to transform Pakistan into a ruthless and almost lawless society. To those who may have short term memory syndrome, the TTP refuses to accept the writ of the state and openly opposes the so-called western-style democracy. It wants to bring in an ‘Islamic’ form of government, and all these bombings, killings and beheadings, according to their interpretation, are merely means to a supposedly righteous end.

Next, how on earth do people think that by initiating a dialogue one may convince such characters that it is not them but the people of Pakistan who get to decide what form of government and what kind of representatives they deserve? The people of Pakistan have been constant victims of these brutes who have not demonstrated an ounce of mercy towards them.

Moving on, there is a narrative being built that after all, the US will leave Afghanistan in 2014 and initiating a dialogue with these people seems to be the most sane and harmless course of action. For the sake of some who are challenged by the facts, the US will not vacate Afghanistan as it did in the 1990s. A year or so ago, this scribe participated in a ‘Twit Hall’ conducted by the Assistant Secretary of State Judith McHale, and raised a question about US plans post-2014 to her. Her categorical response was that the US would remain committed to the Afghan-Pakistan region for years to come, even after 2014. In essence, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.

To add further, it was a campaign promise of President Barack Obama and that too when he was making the bid for the White House the first time around. So to the ones who are thinking it will be déjà vu again and let’s play it safe with making up with our ‘brothers’, you are seriously mistaken. The other aspect to clarify here is US interests in the region are not limited to Afghanistan or Pakistan. Pakistan, unfortunately, is at centre-stage of this whole mess for all the wrong reasons. People who have followed the statements and briefings of President Obama and his aides know that all of them mention Pakistan with cautious and concerned tones.

Unfortunately, we as citizens are oblivious or downright ignorant of the fact that there are enemies within who want to dismantle the state. I am willing to place a bet with anyone, had these so-called brothers been non-Muslims, the story would have been entirely different. There would have been a consensus to crush and eliminate the ‘infidels’. But no such luck here. Sadly, the brutes are a bit smarter than our average people and know the tact of using the ‘religion card’ where it is needed the most.

I ask the respected leaders again who participated in the All Parties Conference (APC) in the capital very recently: what do you tell the victims and their families? Forgive and forget? Let’s shake hands and move on? Who do you reconcile with? What law do you apply? What constitutional measure do you use to make amends with the enemies of the state? Do these people lay down their arms and face the western form of justice — prosecution and courts? Or do they go back to the caves scot-free with a blanket amnesty? If the latter is the case, then we are setting the most horrible precedent for future criminals and enemies of the state. These are very logical questions. I am afraid none of the respected members of the APC have the answers.

The only silver lining of this entire episode has been the denunciation from the Pakistan army of any such reconciliation. Another three-lettered organisation called the Laskhar-e-Jhangvi, which in essence is the ideological partner of the TTP, is back in the news. As someone very rightly said, only the venue changes but the game of death and destruction is played almost every week. The mess is so deep that one just sits and wonders how in the world we will ever come out of this abyss.

To the uniformed men, with utmost respect, enemies whether external or internal require swift action. It sure seems like the army blames politicians for their failure to build consensus against these characters. Again with respect, based on our history, what consensus was required in 1958, 1977 or 1999, when the uniformed force kicked these elected politicians out of office?

The writer is a Pakistani-American mortgage banker. He blogs at http://dasghar.blogspot.com and can be reached at dasghar@aol.com He tweets at http://twitter.com/dasghar