Delay in the peace talks between Islamabad and the Pakistan Taliban — aimed to achieve peace without resorting to force — has set off a heated debate about the viability of even holding a dialogue with the militant group whose diametrically opposite viewpoint regarding governance and constitution goes against what the Pakistan state stands for.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has always been advocating a Sharia-based government on the lines of the Afghan Taliban under Mullah Omar. So the set of conditions the TTP has set before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s committee tasked to negotiate a settlement with it should not surprise. Among the Taliban’s 10 demands are the release of all Taliban prisoners, compensation for drone-strike victims and specific conditions imposed on women to dress according to Sharia. Heading a democratic government, Sharif is unlikely to impose any conditions on women or men, irrespective of how desirous he may be to achieve peace through dialogue. Even the release of prisoners is likely to raise the stakes for the government. Many of these prisoners have been caught in hard-fought security operations. The successes achieved so far in many reclaimed restive areas in the tribal belt and northern areas face the risk of being overturned if appeasement measures backfire, which they will most likely.
The success of any peace talks will only come about if the government shows resolve and negotiates from a position of strength. Giving in to even one unreasonable demand can jeopardise the whole effort and fail to achieve anything tangible. While it may be true that Sharif may be making a last-ditch effort at peace talks before he gives the formal go-ahead of launching a large-scale military offensive to flush out the militant strongholds in North Waziristan, credit must be given to him for going the extra mile. But what the government must not do is allow the TTP to use any agreement if it comes about as a means to buy time to shore up its resources for starting a new phase of insurgency. Pakistan cannot afford to indulge in experiments of this sort at this juncture when any wrong move in dealing with its Taliban groups could impact the security handover in neighbouring Afghanistan.
