In an interview with TRT World, Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that Pakistan was holding talks with different factions of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The talks, he said, were taking place in Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban were acting as mediators. The Prime Minister said certain TTP factions approached the government of Pakistan to sort out matters through negotiations. The Prime Minister said Pakistan would “pardon” those laying down arms.
The PM’s statement immediately sparked a debate in the country with people questioning how the government could forgive those who were involved in heinous terrorist attacks including the APS Peshawar massacre. That prompted Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry to provide a background in a video statement. It was evident from the statement that he was reading from the script and each word was carefully written. This means that the Prime Minister’s statement was not off the cuff but a new policy seeking reconciliation with the banned TTP. The rationale given by the information minister was that TTP terrorists, who were misguided, should be given a second chance. The minister said the state of Pakistan had gone through an enormous ordeal as it sacrificed thousands of lives in the war against terrorism.
“The country has defeated terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda in Pakistan and completely ended India’s conspiracies,” said the information minister. “Now it is time to move forward. State policies are made in a specific background and situation.”
He said there are individuals in various splinter groups of TTP who want to honour their pledge of allegiance to the country. “The principle, which Prime Minister Imran Khan had put forth, is to bring back people, who were derailed from Pakistan, in mainstream life in the purview of our Constitution and law,” the minister emphasised.
Now the question is: what has prompted the government to seek reconciliation with a group that was driven out of the erstwhile tribal areas successfully? Pakistan has asked the Afghan Taliban to take either action or evict the TTP from Afghan soil. Islamabad even handed over a list of wanted men to the Afghan Taliban.
But the Taliban have refused to take military action against the TTP and also ruled out the possibility of evicting them. What they offered instead was to mediate between the TTP and Pakistan. In reality the Taliban were giving Pakistan the taste of its own medicine. The Afghan Taliban have taken the same view as Pakistan took with the US when it came to dealing with the insurgent group.
