TTP`s `offer` of negotiations
By Mahmood Shah DAWN 29th November 2011

`PEACE negotiations` and `give peace a chance` are attractive catch phrases and slogans plagiarised from old events.

The news of offer of negotiations through some unknown spokesman by the Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP) to the government has been creating waves in the media for some time, without any concrete evidence.

Many people doubt the authenticity of such news, and for good reason. Some people connect this with the recent All Party Conference resolution while others think that the Taliban movement in Pakistan has become weakened and that the militants are looking for breathing space.

Another Taliban spokesman also added that his organisation had ceased their operations in Pakistan. This was followed by quick denial.

In fact, the whole affair appears to be shrouded in mystery.

The APC was held to send a strong message to the US after an offensive deployment by US/Nato forces opposite North Waziristan coupled with threats and accusations by various US/Nato officials hurled at Pakistan through the media that if Pakistan did not comply with US demands it could face possible kinetic operations by US/Nato ground and air forces particularly in North Waziristan.

These threats were so effectively articulated by the western media that the Pakistan military high command held a meeting on a Sunday to review this dangerous development and to work out possible contingencies to meet this extraordinary challenge.

These threats were takenseriously because an attack by Nato and a superpower like the US had probably never entered the thinking of our military or political leadership.

Hopefully the military high command worked out possible scenarios and responses in that crucial meeting, as army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani calmly stated after the conference that Pakistan should not be equated with Iraq or Afghanistan and that the responsibility for turning Pakistan into an adversary from an ally would lie squarely with the US and its allies.

This was a well-calculated and sensible statement. In the second phase, an APC was to be held to send a strong message to the US from our political leadership. Unfortunately, this APC, due to the ineptness of our political leaders, failed to rise to the occasion and instead politicised the issue.

The resolution called for negotiations with the so-called Pakistani Taliban (terrorists) besides other things. The message meant for the US/Nato got diluted.

This conference was so important that the US ambassador in Pakistan was following the proceedings of this conference minute by minute and he must have heaved a sigh of relief as the conference concluded with a weak resolution. He must have had a good laugh The main proponent of this negotiation mantra was no other than Imran Khan; when he was askedin a subsequent TV talk show whether he could name factions of the Taliban with whom these negotiations would be held, he had no answer.

The offer of peace negotiations appears to be related to this APC resolution. The unknown Taliban spokesman speaking to the media also clai-med that two to three preliminary meetings had already taken place with the government.

All agencies of the government, including the information ministry and ISPR, denied any negotiation.

This government has already had long negotiations with the militants in all sincerity in 2008-2009. But it finally reached the inescapable and unfortunate conclusion that the Taliban are not interested in peace and that they are using negotiations and agreements to further their agenda.

In May 2009, Pakistan`s armed forces were ordered to take action against these elements and the people fully supported the resultant operations.

The rest is history.

It`s a well-known fact that the so-called Pakistani Taliban have used negotiations and agreements to regroup, recoup and reorganise themselves on various occasions in the past and that is how they have moved from strength to strength to the detriment of the state of Pakistan.

The TTP is a shadow of its former self now. There are other numerous groups with fancy names operating in North Waziristan and other tribal agencies. The TTP after having been uprooted from South Waziristan Agency fled to North Waziristan Agency.

It has been learnt that Hafiz Gul Bahadur issued them a warning about two months ago to leave the agency and since then their whereabouts are not known.

Some people speculate that they are in Afghanistan and some think that they are in Orakzai Agency.

The present operation in Orakzai/Kurram/Khyberagencies should not be underestimated. About a division size of force is involved in the clearance of terrorists from a very difficult mountainous area at the junction of these three agencies in which some stiff resistance is being encountered.

It is quite possible that the TTP is trying to wriggle out of this difficult situation through these offers of negotiations Negotiations with elements that are repentant and prepared to work within a democratic dispensation have never been ruled out by the government. However, their negotiations as a `state` which they think they have created in Pakistan with the state of Pakistan should never be acceptable.

Those political elements who have been openly advocating the cause of the Taliban are well-known. People who are moderate Muslims are not likely to accept interpretations of Islam by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The latter is already a weakened force after the elimination of Osama bin Laden.

With the departure of US, Nato and Isaf forces from Afghanistan the centre of terrorism will shift back to Afghanistan which is unfortunate but it will reduce pressure on Pakistan.

We are already seeing a reduced number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The government has been able to impose its writ in most of the area and we should be looking for an opportune moment to establish our writ in North Waziristan Agency.

The writer is a former brigadier, former home secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and former secretary Fata.

mahmoodshah@mahmoodshah.com