Pakistanis are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, as the much-awaited talks with the Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) kicked off on a positive note. Both sides appear to be very optimistic with political pundits and media gurus predicting a breakthrough in the days to come.
Despite the prevailing hatred toward these militants, the dialogue is seen as a whiff of fresh air among the masses that have grown sick and tired of years of violence. Many analysts, however, opposed peace talks with the militants and called for military action. They fail to realize that any military intervention will only overburden the economy that is already in tatters.
In such a situation, such hawkish approach would have proven to be disastrous. Until the final outcome of the ongoing dialogue, we have to keep our fingers crossed, as the situation is still unpredictable. This skepticism stems from the fact that many outlawed groups are operating under the umbrella of the TTP. Many of them, according to credible intelligence reports, are playing into the hands of the “unknown” enemy hell bent on the destruction of the country.
It is encouraging that the two-member team nominated by the TTP has returned to the negotiating table with considerable hope after talks with some of the key leaders of the militant organization based in North Waziristan. In the initial round of talks Prof. Ibrahim of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Maulana Yusuf of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) faction headed by Maulana Samiul Haq successfully presented the government’s five-point charter to the militants.
Contrary to the expectations of many, the Taleban responded positively, assuring the government that media reports about their insistence on 15 conditions for holding talks with the government, were baseless. It has nothing to do with reality. “They have given us in writing that parleys will be within the ambit of the Pakistan’s Constitution of 1973, which ensured that no law against Islam and Sunnah, will be introduced in Pakistan,” said Maulana Yusuf.
There are reports doing the rounds in the media that the Taleban want to take over the country and impose their interpretation of Shariah law and annul the Constitution. Many analysts believe that the TTP wants to confine women to their homes and bar them from receiving modern education.
These fears, however, are not unwarranted and based on reports that over 150 girls’ schools and colleges in the Khyber Pukhoonkhawa province (KPK) — where the militants hold sway — had been blown up.
However, those involved in the parleys claim that the militants are in favor of ending this prolonged conflict, which is welcome news. Reports from North Waziristan said that the negotiating team was greeted with warmth and was well looked after. Expectations also heightened after government formally announced a cease-fire but attack on security forces in Peshawar and the tribal town of Hangu, in which civilians were killed, had raised doubts about the success of the peace endeavors. Some analysts believe that these are attempts to sabotage the peace talks. “Hidden hands” and not Taleban are behind these attacks, they claim. Whatever the truth, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had stressed the need for expediting the peace process.
Despite all these positive developments, many still see the glass half empty.
