Daily Times

That Islamabad’s prospects of breaking bread with the infamous Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan appear bleak is not news anymore. The real thought-provoking development remains our unwavering commitment to let the doors to deliberations open. Come what may.

Time and again, governments have offered olive branches, most notable of which was previous prime minister Imran Khan’s talk of amnesty. What circumstances allowed him to overlook all episodes of death and destruction and even put the arrangement of letting them “live like ordinary citizens” back on the table is a mind-boggling puzzle. Clearly, winning the hearts of Kabul could not have come at such a dear price, as rightly bemoaned by the parents of the unfortunate children targeted in the 2014 Peshawar school massacre.

The TTP has its hands stained with the blood of over 80,000 Pakistanis. Those perpetrating such unforgivable crimes–in stark contrast to the mega schemes brewing in the then government headquarters– decided to go in another direction.

Their under-the-table dealings with other terrorist groups based in Afghanistan continue in full galore while the Afghan Taliban remain reluctant in cracking the whip on sanctuaries in their backyard. Kabul does not believe in creating unnecessary enemies, especially when the other party is interested in launching a joint offensive to wrestle the so-called Afghan territory over the Durand Line out of the grip of the Pakistan Army.

April’s airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan (regardless of their official status) were believed to be the foundation stone of an armed initiative. Nevertheless, unleashing fire stands poles apart from the under discussion albeit behind-the-scenes linkages in a bid to reignite the deliberations.

By revoking the death sentence handed to Muslim Khan (notoriously known as Butcher of Swat), Pakistan has already shown its hand–and it looks incredibly weak. Approaching a formidable enemy from a point of weakness can only give the group commanders further leeway to consolidate their resources. Why go through a time-consuming exercise (greasing a palm here and giving a concession there) when all such efforts in the past decade-and-a-half have been nothing but a skipping dance? Join hands today and brace oneself for another series of far deadlier attacks all across Pakistan. Believe it or not, a tiger never changes its stripes. *