Finally, moving towards a united stand
Recently, two positive developments have been seen on our political scene. The first is the consensus between the political and military establishments on talks with the TTP. The second is a near unanimous rejection of Tahirul Qadri’s long march by major political parties. Meanwhile, the army has again dispelled notions about any perceived link with Tahirul Qadri and his agenda. How far the developments are real would become clear as stakeholders walk the talk.
After the important changes introduced in the latest edition of the Green Book, the military commanders have once again reiterated their commitment to continue the fight against the terrorists who are bent upon destroying the peace and stability of the country. Regarding the offer of talks from Hakimullh Mehsud, the army has raised the question whether this indicated a change of heart or it was a tactical move to defuse the pressure that the militants are facing from military operations in a number of tribal areas, especially the Khyber Agency. The army has left it to the government to decide on the offer made by the TTP chief. Asfandyar Wali, whose party has lost the largest number of workers and parliamentarians in terrorist attacks, has rightly maintained that talks are possible only if the TTP agrees to abandon violence and takes recourse to constitutional means to bring any changes in the system. The militants must not however be allowed to use talks to regroup or improve their situation on ground as they did in Swat. As long as they do not renounce violence and agree to employ only peaceful means, the talks have to be combined with military action with full force.
Mian Nawaz Sharif has finally taken a clear cut stand on Tahirul Qadri’s march, unlike some of the hawks in his party who have resorted to innuendos which indicated that they were interested more in “exposing” the PPP. While maintaining that the PTI wanted reforms in the system, Imran Khan has branded Qadri’s suggestions for electoral reforms as vague. He has also expressed full faith in the constitution and maintained that reforms could be brought about through elections alone. Earlier, religious parties, including JI and JUI-F, and nationalist parties from Sindh and Balochistan had distanced themselves from Qadri’s agenda. It is time the TMQ chief realises his folly and stops the long march. The government should enter into talks with Qadri to dissuade him from the adventure and to provide him a face saving opportunity to apply the back gear. There is a need on the part of the major political parties to take a joint stand on the issue of terrorism. To create a consensus on the issue, both the PPP and PML-N have to play a leading role. This would also dispel the notion that PML-N and PTI retain a soft corner for the militants.
