Imran’s proposals : Ill-advised suggestions

EDITORIAL: DAILY TIMES

Addressing the media in Peshawar on Wednesday, Imran Khan mooted a proposal to the federal government that the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) be allowed to open an office. He also stated that the government should announce a ceasefire in order to initiate meaningful talks with the TTP. If there was any doubt about Imran’s delusional attitude based on nothing but misplaced ideological inclinations in dealing with the TTP, it has been removed after this naïve statement. Ironically, Imran was visiting the Lady Reading Hospital to offer his condolences to the victims of the heinous suicide bombings carried out by militants in a church. Although the TTP, possibly after seeing the backlash of these attacks, has tried to distance itself by claiming that the attacks were carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Jundullah, an autonomous group having little to do with the TTP, one cannot be sure whether this is true or not. The TTP has a track record of denying involvement in attacks that caused widespread resentment amongst the masses. Imran’s proposals, if taken seriously by the federal government, would have negative consequences for the already frayed security situation. His proposal to set up an office in Pakistan similar to the one established by the Afghan Taliban in Qatar will give the TTP official recognition and elevate its position from a militant insurgency carrying out asymmetrical warfare to a stakeholder in how the country’s affairs are run. Secondly, this gesture will reinforce the TTP’s rigid and unreasonable attitude and will possibly spur the banned outfit to become more adventurous in the future. Such a proposal will only provide legitimacy to these misanthropists and will surely be perceived as a sign of the state’s weakness by the TTP. Imran’s second proposal seems even more preposterous than the first one. He proposes that the federal government should enforce a ceasefire. This is tantamount to a partial surrender; a complete surrender would be if the federal government acquiesces to the TTP’s demands for imposing sharia, turning the country into an Islamic emirate, presumably under the TTP, and obviously then packing up and going home. It is quite obvious that Imran is unwilling to budge from his rigid point of view and still has faith in a peaceful settlement with the TTP despite all the clear signals that the TTP is sending to the contrary. Moreover, if simple logic is not convincing enough, perhaps a closer look at the history of insurgencies and warfare would help. A ceasefire is always based on mutual consent and is applicable to both sides. A one-sided ceasefire is unheard of. Considering the consistency and frequency with which the TTP is conducting terrorist attacks, a ceasefire by the government will, in effect, be an open invitation for the terrorists to carry out their ‘jihad’ against innocent civilians with impunity. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government does not seem to have any clarity on how to tackle the TTP problem, which is growing with each passing day. Although the consensus reached by all political parties at the All Parties Conference is often touted as a great political success, nobody seems to have any clue about how to proceed. The resolve to hold talks with the TTP is not enough. There needs to be a set agenda for the proposed talks. A bare minimum set of conditions need to be put forward by the government before any talks can be held. For starters, the TTP needs to halt its hostilities against the state. The TTP’s behaviour so far gives no indication it is willing to do so. Moreover, for talks to bear fruit, it is imperative that the government has some sort of idea what it is trying to achieve through talks. The TTP shelters under its umbrella more than 60 groups and there is a possibility that even if an agreement is reached with Hakeemullah Mehsud, not all groups would comply with such an agreement. It is time for Imran to wake up and smell the coffee. The only way out of this mess is to use force against those who do not respect the writ of the state and at the same time keep room for negotiations for those who want to give up militancy and reintegrate in society. The solution does not lie in surrendering to the whims and wishes of the fanatics.