PML-N leader Siddiqul Farooq on Tuesday termed the coming all parties conference (APC) summoned by his party’s government as the first step towards peace, adding that the PML-N vowed to take on board the Afghan Taliban as well as the Northern Alliance as ties with both of them had been improving.
Addressing a ceremony at the launch of the FATA Research Centre’s latest research study titled Post NATO Withdrawal Scenario in Afghanistan; Impact on Peace and Development in FATA, the PML-N leader said this was the first time in the history of Pakistan that all stakeholders in FATA were on the same page.
He said summoning of the APC by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the first step towards peace and its recommendations would be tabled before parliament.
“If we want no one to dictate us, then who we are to dictate Afghanistan, as it is against Pashtun traditions across the border,” Farooq said.
He also vowed to make Doha dialogues successful, amid seeking regional stability, adding, “We want to take on board every one to redress the issue on a permanent basis.”
Farooq said his party believed in the policy of no interference in the affairs of other countries, for which all the diplomatic instruments would be utilised.
He said “it is time we address militancy and radicalisation in the tribal belt of the country”.
“Our party leadership is determined to bringing peace and development in the volatile tribal belt through negotiations and peace pacts with the Taliban,” the PML-N leader said.
At the occasion, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA from Kohat, Shehryar Afridi was of the view that the government must respect the local culture, and consult the local people before taking every decision and should address the local problems on a priority basis.
Asmatullah Wazir, a research analyst, said the military had played a key role in the conflict so far, and will continue to do so, so it should keep in mind the local customs and traditions. “The presence of the national military in FATA is a cause for gripe among militants, however with the US-led NATO withdrawal, the locals are hopeful that the army’s presence in the region will also go down,” Wazir said.
Highlighting the interconnectivity between Afghanistan and FATA, the research centre’s president, Ashraf Ali said post withdrawal scenario created in Afghanistan would have direct and multi-faceted implications on FATA.
“History tells us that change in Afghanistan remains closely linked with FATA.”
“Afghan-Jihad, disintegration of the USSR, civil war in Afghanistan, US invasion, these transitions had an impact on FATA and now it is the US withdrawal from Afghanistan that will affect the social fabric in the area.”
Earlier, in the report launched 76 percent of respondents said people would not support the existing militant groups once the US-led NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan.
In the report, 50 percent of the respondents negated the notion that tribal society would respond to the militancy aggressively in the region. “People of the region are tired of the bloodbath they have witnessed, especially in the post 9/11 scenario, hence wants to settle the issues through dialogue, peaceful mean and/or by entering into peace accords.”
It quoted 80 percent of the respondents as considering that dialogue and development were key to restoring peace in FATA.
Similarly, when respondents were asked to identify the major actors in the restoration of peace in the Tribal Areas after the withdrawal, 30.33 percent and 31.50 percent placed their weight behind the people, the military and the political administration respectively.