Tehreek-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud’ death in a US drone strike has elicited much reaction and criticism from the right wing political parties -Jamaiti Islami, PML-N, PTI, and JUI against the US. These parties hailed the death of the TTP leader, an attack on the peace talk’s process. The All Parties Conference (APC) was held at Islamabad on September 9, all the political parties, including the army chief agreed in the APC for peace talks with the TTP on the condition of the country’s constitution acceptance to them. The peace talk’s offer from the state was an olive branch for the TTP, but instead of accepting the olive branch they expedited their suicide attacks, killing of General Niazi in a road side bomb and dozens of Christians in a Peshawar Church, signalling no willingness for talks with the government. The TTP tried to justify its attacks by citing that they had not received any formal offer of talks and ceasefire.
One wonders how and why some of our political parties call the death of the TTP leader a sabotage of the ‘peace talk’ process when TTP repeatedly denied start of any talks? The unwarranted reaction from some of our political parties on the US drone and sympathy for the terrorists is an act which adds insult to injury of the Pakistani nation, who has been fighting terrorists since 2001 and has sacrificed 50,000 civilians, more than 10,000 army and law enforcement personnel, billons dollars in economy and peace of the country.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar’s statement that a three member committee was due to leave to North Waziristan on November 2 to hold talks with the TTP seems something pulled out of his hat as he did not give the names of the people who would go for talks or where would they go and meet who? And how could the government send a three member committee to the TTP without meeting the latter’s two preconditions for peace talks: the release of the TTP’s all prisoners from Pakistani prisons and the withdrawal of the army from the tribal along the Afghanistan border?
There is much confusion and doubt about the government’ claims regarding these peace talks with the TTP. It is quite shocking that many politicians have been favouring the TTP a group that accepted responsibility for killing hundreds? Talks are only possible when the two parties are willing, in case of Pakistan, the TTP is completely unwilling to hold any talks with the state. JUI statement is believed to be an attempt to earn the TTP sympathy to regain its lost vote bank in the present government.
INAYATULLAH,
Hyderabad, November 13.