In the backdrop of intimidation
The APC on talks with the TTP was held in the backdrop of fear and intimidation. The gathering of all significant political parties with the exception of PTI was reminded at the start that a squad of 150 suicide bombers who had recently completed training was waiting for the word ‘go’ to launch attacks during the elections. The participants were further reminded that the tribal elders had come to the political leadership for the last time and if they returned disappointed the national leaders would have no control over them. The participants criticised the government and the army more than they did the terrorists. JI categorised the response of the government to the talks offer as less than positive while Nawaz Sharif wanted the government to respond favourably to the offer. Sherpao who has twice been targeted by suicide bombers wanted talks without any preconditions. One of the leaders belonging to Balochistan blamed the state for promoting terrorism. Another called upon the gathering to go together to the army, ISI and MI to tell them enough is enough and plead with them to stop it. Consequently the resolution adopted at the meeting omitted the word “terrorism”, replacing it with the innocuous “lawlessness” obviously to placate the TTP.
The gathering was told that the tribal jirga had initiated talks on peace about a year back and had held sessions in all tribal agencies. This makes it clear that the TTP issued the unexpected call for talks under pressure from the tribal areas. The tribal population supports peace for obvious reasons. While the APC was being held came the news that militants had bombed four more schools in the Mohmand Agency where they have already destroyed over a hundred educational facilities. There was also a report about the military jets pounding the militant hideouts in Orakzai Agency. The spurt in the drone attacks during the last five years has also added to casualties in the tribal areas. Bomb blasts and suicide attacks also continue to take place all over the country, most of all in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
There is a need to learn from the past experiments in peace making, particularly from the attempt made in Swat where an agreement brokered in haste did not require the local Taliban to abide by the constitution and law and accept the writ of the state. The peace thus bought turned out to be a bubble. The subsequent attempt for the re-establishment of the writ of the state turned out to be a highly costly exercise in human terms. There is a need, therefore, to get an assurance from the TTP that it would abide by the constitution, law and the writ of the state.