Despite the prime minister’s objectives and lip service by stakeholders, the faith in talks with the Taliban to bring an end to terrorism as a credible option is diminishing.
Probably, the government too has little faith in the value of the proposed talks. This is evident from the formation of the committee announced by the prime minister. Some of the members even invoked unpleasant memories from the past for being the part of ‘dark state’. It seemed most of the relevant people stayed away from the initiative sensing probably the futility of the exercise.
The members include two journalists, Irfan Siddiqui and Rahimullah Yousafzai. Sididiqui was inducted in the government as special assistant only a day before making him part of the committee.
Rustam Shah Mohmand, former ambassador and expert on Afghanistan, and Maj (r) Amir are the other two members.
We all know Maj Amir as a part of Brig Imtiaz’s team during Gen Ziaul Haq’s era lending hands to the West then in raising militants against the Soviet Union. He was also involved in other operations with political overtones. Recently he was serving in Bahria Town.
Both Siddiqui and Amir have one thing common. Both of them are products of the Zia era. Even until very recently, Siddiqui was associated with Ejazul Haq when he was the federal minister in capacity of his spokesman. Amir too still enjoys good relations with Ejazul Haq.
It is now an open secret that the new initiative of the prime minister is in fact brainchild of Siddiqui who first persuaded the government to take on General Musharraf.
Already the membership of the committee has created more ripples than the peace initiative itself. The absence of any political figure or more precisely any other high-profile personality has been also noticed all around.
Where is Fazlur Rehman or Samiul Haq now? Likewise, why federal ministers, especially interior and information minister kept them aloof? Why is the KP governor or figure of his stature missing from the scene?
The political and security observers were surprised to see the committee, lacking any towering personality to inspire confidence. There are already question marks as to the credibility of the committee to deliver.
One important reason for the lapse is probably the question mark over the utility of pursuing peace now. Hence, the government went for not very high-profile figures as if fulfilling a formality. Under the same impression, the important stakeholders and figures too stayed away.
Interestingly, as the prime minister announced another peace talk, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar held a secret meeting with the army chief of the kind they used to hold with Musharraf in the past. Probably, it was meant to explain to the army leadership the logic of the new move. Or there could be some sort of parallel understanding in the works between the civil-military leadership not meant for public consumption right now.
We know that the army is not much given to the notion of pursuing peace with the Taliban anymore, especially after recent terrorist attacks. Recently, it started operation in North Waziristan with jet fighters and helicopter pounding the hideouts of the militants. There are reports that the army initiated the operation on its own hoping that political leadership would come along later on.
There are further reports that the army is on the move, doing final touches to operation in the tribal areas. Similarly, local people anticipating war ahead are leaving their homes. The government did not make any appeal to them to stop leaving their places. Some military and political officials claim that the military could be engaged in the area in March or April when weather would be congenial for any attack.
