February 03, 2014 OPINION by Jalees Hazir Reclaiming Islam : nation.pk/columns/03-Feb-2014/reclaiming-islam The PML-N government is blundering towards talks with the TTP once again. After eight long months, it finally announced the team that is to talk to the TTP last week. Given the shoddy way it is handling the business of talking to terrorists, these talks are unlikely to have any positive outcome. The recent government initiative could only provide breathing space to TTP groups and an opportunity for them to replenish their ranks and resources. The military would then be called in for a much larger operation than what is required at present. Haven’t we seen all that before? The Pakistan military could be trusted to take the militants on, even after they catch their breath and regroup. It has proven its capacity to reclaim territory from these elements each time it has confronted them. But, at the end of the day, the military could only be expected to do its job of waging war, and, without a complimentary political response, a military response would never be enough. Reclaiming territory is not all there is to this war with these mercenary-guerrilla groups who come dressed as the flag-bearers of Islam—they run, hide and resurface elsewhere. Besides, citizens in areas targeted for a military operation are caught in the crossfire as a rule and displaced from their homes. An effective political response to deal with these challenges is crucial but not in sight. Unfortunately, after talking about talks for eight months, open-ended talks is all the present government is willing to offer on that count. It has chosen not to define its red-lines or a time-line. The team of negotiators it has chosen has been widely met with skepticism with at least one of them going so far as to put the constitution on the discussion table. So much about establishing the writ of the state! An impression has been created that the TTP had the veto power over the composition of the government team and the TTP’s seriousness could be gauged by its response; naming mainstream Pakistani politicians as its team first and later naming an uncompromising hardliner to head its negotiators.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:02:16 +0000