Thank God, the talks have finally started, though the road is bumpy. Then so what? The determined prime minister is likely to make headway. Despite ‘pressure’ from a cross section of society, media and intelligentsia, the government has shown its determination and commitment to holding dialogue with the militant leadership. The prime minister on the floor of National Assembly pledged to give peace another chance, set up a four-member committee to get in touch with the other side, and refused to give up on talks’ option despite the two of the five Taliban nominees, Imran Khan and Mufti Kifayatullah, opted out – a decision which dismayed the parliamentarians and Taliban alike.
While the PM is directly supervising this process, the move is being considered to have a chance of success, not because the militants have a change of heart but because they must have realized by now that the war remains unwinnable for them. And the mood of the general public this time is increasingly aggressive in the face of terror upsurge. That the TTP has not nominated its representatives from within its organization but from the general public and political parties, the move is though apparently dubbed as clever, yet it leads to believe that the next round would include their actual representatives.
Why TTP is for dialogue has a few reasons. Non-availability of TTP chief who lives in Afghanistan poses a threat to TTP unity. The sympathy it enjoyed within Pakistan is now dwindling. The impression that they are the hired guns of foreign powers has grown further. They are running short of suicide-bombers and foot soldiers; many of them are suffering from war fatigue also. Most of its foreigners’ wing has been wiped out in the recent air strikes. It is fast losing links with world terrorist organizations. So the option is to accept the emerging reality.
The government seems to be working in tandem with the security apparatus with the opposition at its back. The four-member body is performing the role of a conduit; it has the reputation of being pro-right yet independent and pragmatic. It is our hope that the nation would hear good news soon. How long it would take to go on or end, the utmost care must however be taken that the transitory period wouldn’t allow the ‘other side’ to reassemble or regroup.
F Z KHAN
Islamabad