The terrorists won’t spare the government or the civilians
Being in Talban captivity for nearly five years must have been an unending nightmare for US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl. His release has put an end not only to his own ordeal but also of his parents who had all these years been running from pillar to post for the freedom of their only son. President Obama’s remarks at the release were quite apt: “The United States of America does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind.” So were those of Gen Martin E Dempsey who said, “It is our ethos that we never leave a fallen comrade.” The remarks however bring back the sad memory of 23 FC men kidnapped by the TTP in 2010 and brutally decapitated in February 2014 because their freedom could not be secured.
It is an irony that Bergdahl’s release was effected through mediation on the part of Qatar, a country which has only recently started taking interest in the Afghan issue. Pakistan played no role in the bargain. All the clerics and agencies in Pakistan, who vie with one another in claiming influence over the Afghan Taliban, strangely failed to use their supposed clout in Pakistan’s benefit. Pakistan’s establishment had close relations with the Taliban leadership before 9/11. Even after the fall of the Taliban Islamabad continued to be accused of providing shelter to the so called ‘Quetta Shura’ and safe havens to the Haqqani network. While the establishment drew flak for its ties with the Afghan Taliban, and led the country to paint itself into a corner, it failed to gain any political benefits for the county from the ties. Over the years the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani network did not even try to dissuade the TTP from killing Pakistani civilians and soldiers. The likes of the Haqqanis and commander Gul Bahadur instead allowed areas under their control in North Waziristan to be used by foreign militants and TTP leaders for attacks inside Pakistan. The entire policy devised by the establishment about the Afghan Taliban has been faulty and harmful.
The release of five battle hardened Taliban commanders as a part of the bargain should be a matter of concern for the entire region. After their year-long rest and recreation in Qatar the leaders would either return to Afghanistan or sneak into Pakistan to continue the fighting. Quite a few of those released in the past from Guantanamo have subsequently joined the Taliban fighters. One of the five is known for close ties with OBL and two have been involved in the massacre of the Shia community in Afghanistan. There is little hope of anything good emanating from their release for Pakistan.