TTP set conditions for talks

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: TTP set conditions for talks

Taliban know these terms won't be met by Pakistan.
This offer is like Taliban laughing on Pakistan and Pakistani people. They are showing us that they are in charge, that the state of Pakistan is helpless, that they don't have any fear from anyone including the army.

I wonder what Imran and Nawaz think about endorsement from Taliban?!
Didn't it just prove what people have been proclaiming about these two since long?

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They think
Jan hay to Jahan hay
جان ہے تو جہان ہے

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Re: TTP set conditions for talks

You are right, ask the president to come out of his fortified presidential palace and visit FATA to gain first hand knowledge of the situation there.

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After Shahbaz’s historical plea to the Taleban to spare Punjab (in 2010), some people from KP are now questioning why only they are being targeted by TTP? This will not bode well for national harmony in the long run.

http://archives.dawn.com/archives/58080

ANY Pakistani who wants a progressive and developed Pakistan would fully endorse your editorial (March 16) regarding Punjab chief minister`s naked surrender to the Taliban.
One cannot comprehend such capitulation by the ruler of the biggest province.

This hits at the core of anti-extremist consensus, so painstakingly built by our civil society, a section of the media, government and the army.

Moreover, it also delivers a serious blow to the nascent foundations of the newfound provincial harmony. This has exposed the true political philosophy of Punjab`s biggest party, which they have been trying to camouflage since their return to power.

This statement by junior Sharif, along with the PML-Ns blatant hobnobbing with a banned outfit just to secure a few thousand votes, is a clear reflection of their mindset and regressive agenda. To borrow Kamran Shafis terminology, they represent the Crazy Right whose agenda will not allow Pakistan to move beyond the status quo; rather they would like us to revert to the same sycophantic policies of the 1980s which we are now desperately trying to change.

The PML-N has always been ambivalent in its stance on extremism. They never supported the military action against these elements wholeheartedly and only became part of the national consensus against these forces when no other choice was left to them. This statement proves this fact.

Never in their interviews have both Sharif brothers aggressively hit at these elements; they have just been paying lip-service.

Their government in Punjab is in denial about these elements` presence and strength in Punjab. They are reluctant to crack down on them; rather they are legitimising them by soliciting their support in elections.

This policy is extremely detrimental to Pakistan. The PML-N will be well advised to rethink this and come out decisively against these elements.

With their sole focus on presidential powers, opposition to the NWFP`s renaming, reservations on the abolition of the concurrent list, and opposing many provincial autonomy proposals, the PML-N was already on the wrong side of the smaller provinces.

Now add to this mix the chief ministers begging of the Taliban to spare Punjab, and other provinces suspicions about the PML-N get reinforced. This shows a Punjab-centric and a regressive approach hindering change in status quo. This is not worthy of a party which harbours aspirations to govern the whole of Pakistan.

The Punjab CM`s statement is an insult to thousands of our jawans and officers who are laying down their lives in the mountains and valleys of Swat, Waziristan, and Bajur, just to keep us safe from Taliban murderers.

Sharif`s words are disrespectful to the thousands of innocent victims who embraced martyrdom or were maimed by Taliban terror in our towns and villages.

Shahbaz Sharif must apologise to the families of the terror victims.

MUHAMMAD ASIF
Lahore

(II)

SHAHBAZ Sharifs recent statement imploring the Taliban to back off from Punjab undermines provincial harmony and stymies the establishments stance of the current more muscular strategy of rooting out the Pakistani Taliban`s strongholds in South Waziristan and Swat.

It is not expected of a person at the helm of affairs in Pakistan`s most populous province to pass remarks that could alienate and infuriate the already sullen masses in the conflict-ridden NWFP.

The PML-N has a huge vote bank in Punjab and it should ensure that the party`s stance is in sync with public opinion on issues of national importance.

Instead of getting carried away with unrest in the province and issuing statements on the spur, the CM should have taken a proactive stance by commending the sacrifice of those who lost their lives at the hands of ruthless extremism.

Terrorism today is a threat to each and every Pakistani alike and only a sustained, joint approach of addressing the issue head-on is going to be successful. We should be clear that the TTP, in connivance with foreign collaborators, is hell bent on wreaking havoc in our lives regardless of provincial boundaries, religious affiliations or political association and that its cause has no religious exoneration whatsoever.

MUHAMMAD JALAL AWAN
Lahore

(III)

SHAHBAZ Sharif is begging for mercy from the barbarian and terrorist Taliban. In his parochial jest, he went overboard and proclaimed that they (PML-N) were on the same side as the Taliban against Pervez Musharraf during his tenure.

Isn`t this like him selling his soul to the devil for some cheap political gain and to seek blessings from extremist outfits and sectarian organisations?

This is not bravado but a terrible case of arrogance coupled with a foot-in-the-mouth disease, which is quite common with the PML-N these days.

Has anyone ever thought and realised why the current and ongoing offensive by the Taliban has focused on Punjab, especially Lahore, though earlier it was preceded by the Taliban`s wrath on Islamabad and Rawalpindi and at military installations and intelligence agency offices all over the country?

They are targeting the federation, and Lahore epitomises the citadel of power. Unfortunately, the chief minister is questioning their selection of targets and not why they are targeting Lahore.

It is time Shahbaz Sharif got off the high horse of provincialism, quit the martial mantle, entered the purgatory and sought penance from the people.

What Mr Sharif said in public is utterly disgraceful and is tantamount to siding with the Taliban and approving bomb blasts, suicide attacks and terror as long as it is not on Punjab`s soil.

Mian Shahbaz, you have brought shame to Punjab and are no better than your foul-mouthed jingoistic law minister. As a Pakistani I am deeply ashamed of your brainless and arrogant rhetoric.

SYED KHAWAR MEHDI
Karachi

(IV)

KUDOS to the Punjab chief minister for requesting the Taliban to spare the province (and perhaps take their activities to some other province?).

Instead of condemning the heinous terror activities of the Taliban in Punjab and vowing to fight them, the PML-N leader yet again is singing a sympathetic and apologetic tune for the murderous organisation and is giving excuses for the atrocities being carried out by them. The Taliban sure have an apt spokesperson.

ASAD V. SHAIRANI
Karachi

(V)

THE chief ministers cowardly plea to the Taliban to spare Punjab has brought nothing but shame and ignominy to the province which was once known as the sword-wielding arm` of undivided India.

He has openly and shamelessly admitted that the PML-N and the Taliban have one and the same agenda.

Therefore, he has, in a most timid manner, begged the Taliban to spare Punjab implying they could continue with their murderous and bloody activities of blowing the rest of Pakistan and, of course, Pakistanis to smithereens.

Will our high and superior judiciary take notice of this statement, which is nothing short of high treason?

A PAKISTANI

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Re: TTP set conditions for talks

Chalo in proposals ka kaam ho gaya…

The security establishment has ruled out a ceasefire with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), describing the recent peace overture from the militants as a ploy to avoid a possible military offensive in the tribal areas, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Last week, TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud said in a video message that his group was willing to negotiate with the Pakistani government. However, he attached certain preconditions to the peace talks, including an end to Pakistan’s alliance with the United States and rewriting of the country’s constitution “according to Islamic Shariah”.

Reacting to the offer, a senior military official said TTP’s move appeared to be aimed at gaining the “higher moral ground” at a time when a consensus was emerging in the country against their violent campaign.

“We should not be swayed by their offer,” cautioned the official, adding that the group probably made the offer to preempt a fresh military operation against Taliban insurgents in the tribal areas.

The official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the TTP had suffered “setbacks” in recent months as a result of “successful” military operations](Terror camps dismantled: Frontier Corps launches ‘operation’ in Awaran) against their hideouts.

**“Also, they [the TTP] were on the back foot after attacks on Malala [Yousafzai], polio vaccinators and [senior minister] Bashir Bilour,” the official added.

Another security official, who was once in charge of military operations in South Waziristan Agency, said that scores of TTP militants had fled the tribal regions to seek shelter in settled areas to avoid a possible offensive.**

In this scenario, the TTP offer appears to be a “political move” to divide public opinion in the country in terms of the government’s possible response to militants’ outrageous attacks, the official said, adding that even though the final decision to respond to TTP’s offer would be taken by the government, the military had no plans to halt operations against the group.

“As of now, there is no change in our policy. Military operations will continue against the TTP,” said the official.

Furthermore, top military commanders, including army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, will assess TTP’s offer when they meet early next month, The Express Tribune learnt.

**Analysts wary of TTP offer “The TTP through its offer wants the same recognition in Pakistan as the Afghan Taliban have in their country,” said security analyst Fida Khan.
**
But Pakistan is not Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other insurgent groups are fighting foreign forces, Khan added. “So, we have to tread a very careful path.”

The Pakistan Peoples Party-led government has already rejected the conditional offer by the TTP, insisting that dialogue could only be held under the ambit of the country’s constitution.

The Awami National Party has, meanwhile, started contacting different political leaders in an effort to evolve a consensus for decisive actions against “terrorist sanctuaries”.

*Published in The Express Tribune, December *31[SUP]st[/SUP], 2012.

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This is shameful. Forget politics, a bunch of thugs decide to grab guns and the government has to acquiesce to them?

This. You have to deal with them...for now. Once the people in the region are demilitarized, have jobs, and actually enjoy a life worth keeping, then you can prosecute the leadership. Any calls by the Taliban for renewed violence would be met with resistance by the people themselves.

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Agreed! to any offensive the TTP will retaliate against common civilians and hence further erode their support. The government should do its bit, and let them do theirs (since that's what they know).

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Peace offer soaked in blood – The Express Tribune

It is perhaps the timing of the offer and its language that is significant. It has come soon after the brutal killing of ANP leader Bashir Bilour followed immediately by the kidnapping and later even more brutal killing of 22 personnel of Levies Force. And if one went through the conditions for talks listed in the letter sent earlier to a senior media person, Mr Saleem Safi of Jang/Geo, by the chief of the so-called Punjabi Taliban and later conveyed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief, Hakeemullah Mehsud, in the video released on December 28, it becomes clear that the party is not interested in talks but wants to create confusion in the ranks of the ‘enemy’ so as to thwart the chances of a national consensus for a decisive military action against the killers. The offer has come camouflaged in the ‘Islamic’ garb, which, for obvious reasons, never fails to win favour among most Pakistanis. But it also exudes a sense of confidence which appears extremely exaggerated.

They have killed Bashir Bilour and the 22 levies in what seems to be sheer desperation as they were finding it increasingly impossible to achieve high-profile successes lately. In the year gone by, their violence had remained confined mostly to the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), their base, and in Karachi where there has been no law and order since December 31, 2009 when the tenure of Mustafa Kamal’s mayorship ended. The TTP’s main source of strength has been the Punjabi and Afghan Taliban. It has always been my considered opinion that once you take care of the Punjabi Taliban, the TTP will wither away on its own. And now it seems that the Pakistan Army has finally succeeded in effectively neutralising the Punjabi Taliban, hence the letter sent from its chief to a senior media man. The TTP Punjab chief’s motive is certainly not peace but publicity to win back the favour of the Pashtuns, which seems to be receding in the face of the senseless and indiscriminate killings. The Afghan Taliban, on the other hand, seem also to have lost their steam and, contrary to the general impression, are seemingly more interested in a negotiated withdrawal than in continuing their unwinnable war. The nation seems to be finally making up its mind to launch a decisive armed campaign against the physical sanctuaries of the TTP. And Secretary of Defence Lt Gen (retd) Asif Yaseen Malik has rightly called for sealing of the Afghan border before the action as, according to his apprehensions, such an action would push the TTP members into Afghanistan where no arrangements have been made so far to net them.

A number of religio-political parties such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam and all its factions, the Jamiatul Ulema-e-Pakistan and all its factions and all other similar parties have been freely promoting their Sharia-based ideology since partition and have been voted to parliament a number of times, but so far not in enough numbers to make effective use of the Council of Islamic Ideology, established some 45 years ago, to make all laws in Pakistan conform to Sharia. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of seven religio-political parties that formed the provincial government in KP after the 2002 elections and also wore the mantle of opposition leader in the National Assembly, passed a Sharia-compliant law called the Hisba bill in 2005 which, however, was struck down by the Supreme Court. These parties have been working within constitutional parameters and seem willing to continue doing so in a democratic system until they achieve their goals. Interestingly, one of the mainstream political parties, the PML-N, in its last outing had succeeded in getting a Shariat Bill passed by the National Assembly but before it could get it through the Senate, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf intervened and toppled the then government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The TTP is also welcome to join them and participate in the forthcoming elections by renouncing violence as KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has suggested. However, if they continue their indiscriminate killings, the chances are that by the time they achieve their objective, no one would be left in the country to force their version of Sharia.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2013.

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Cut the lying about the TTP – The Express Tribune

Just before 2012 drew to an end, one of the terrorist groups in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan conglomerate offered conditional talks to the government. Some in the commentariat, who have raised obfuscation and petty lying to the level of fine art, were quick to point to the ‘generosity’ of the TTP and said that the ball was now in the government’s court.
This is bollocks, deliberate and dangerous. Consider.
First, those insisting that the government take this offer are implying that the TTP is a legitimate entity that the government and, by extension, the state should negotiate with. This would be laughable if it were not so pernicious. The TTP includes criminals, extremists and terrorists. Some, let it be said clearly, are in the pay of hostile intelligence agencies. They are not the Afghan Taliban that Kabul wants to talk to and it is deceptive to put them in the same category. For ‘respectable’ journalists to ‘advise’ the government on the TTP means the government should also start negotiating with, and give legitimacy to, all manner of kidnappers, robbers, felons and murderers.
Were it to come to that, we might as well bid goodbye to this state and to ourselves as a society.
Second, talks with preconditions? In plain English, it is called dictation: do this and that and we will stop attacking you. Implication: don’t do as directed and we will continue to attack and kill people. Submit and you will be spared. Because once these terrorists have got what they want, through fear and coercion, this state and society will be at their mercy anyway. Their spokesmen in the media are surely referring to this act of generosity. There will be no pain after that.
Perhaps. But what about subjugation; the relationship of lordship and bondage; the loss of our values and common human decencies? Far from the pain being over, it will be the beginning of it, a hellish experience without respite.
Third, we have to ask ourselves why this particular group, led by Hakeemullah Mehsud — the most murderous of the groups that form the TTP — wants to talk. They are being squeezed. They stand discredited. Their brutality has isolated the Pakistanis. The group is posturing, presenting itself as ‘reasonable’, relying on the obfuscators in our ranks to confuse the people, hoping everyone is sick of this violence and will take this ‘olive branch’. If the government rejects the ‘offer’, the people will blame it for forcing the TTP’s hand.
Such moments are crucial. As I wrote in 2009 in The Friday Times: “It is important to understand the nature of this war and … what counterinsurgency expert Robert Thompson called ‘playing for the breaks’. The ‘breaks’ refer to ‘changes in the situation at the international, national and local levels … generated by critical errors made by an insurgency’s leaders’”.
These errors fall in two categories: original sins and situational errors. But errors made by terrorist groups are not enough in and of themselves to put them down; they must be leveraged by the state in its favour.
That’s what we have to do, play for the breaks. We did that in Malakand when Fazlullah overplayed his hand. We have to do it again. But mere indignation is not going to solve the problem. This year must see a serious coordinated effort to tackle this challenge and doing that requires not just more effective military operations, important though they are, but also an effective counterterrorism (CT) strategy.
It should be obvious that the reprisals come in the urban centres where the military cannot be of much use. The war in the periphery has brought these groups to the centre. The war has now to be waged in the centre to put them in a nutcracker. That is where the police and civilian intelligence agencies come in. We have neglected them so far. That has cost us dearly. The cost will rise exponentially the more we delay doing that which is required.
We need effective laws dealing with detention, interrogation and surveillance; a reconfigured force for countering urban terrorism, trained and equipped to that end; an umbrella organisation to coordinate CT ops; a mainframe with NADRA and other databases to expedite investigations; an effective civilian intelligence agency dealing with internal security, as opposed to leaving that job to the ISI; the restructuring of the ISI itself; enhancing the capacity of the police which is currently performing security duties for the VVIP and has inadequate manpower and equipment for policing and CT functions; training intelligence analysts and developing a specialised cadre; a parliamentary committee overseeing internal security and intelligence functions to ensure there are no excesses and so on.
This is neither an exhaustive list nor is it in any specific order. There are reports dealing with making the police effective. They are instructive and rely on the expertise of several police officers with long careers in the service. They should be utilised. Pakistan can also ask for help from other countries that have done well fighting drug cartels and terrorism. The world is ready to help if we are prepared to stop hemming and hawing and get ready to roll up our sleeves to deal with this menace. Of course, that presupposes that we are interested in formulating and implementing a national security strategy instead of acting like a headless chicken.
As matters stand, there can be no talks with the TTP. The TTP groups have to lay down arms, submit to the Constitution and the laws of this state, renounce violence and seek society’s forgiveness for gratuitous bloodletting. Until then, their sympathisers in the commentariat and certain political parties wanting to talk to them should shut up.
Finally, the TTP wants the Constitution to be brought in conformity with the Sharia. Indeed! And pray, what Sharia would that be? Theirs? Because so far, they have even killed those Islamic scholars who have dared tell them that they are not qualified to be exegetes and their lumpen interpretations of religion are not only flawed but deliberately deceptive.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2013.

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Who will give TTP’s guarantee??

They are saying that they wont do a cease fire so what sort of negotiations do they need?

Talks with government: TTP seeks military

**ISLAMABAD: ****In the wake of the army’s new doctrine – recognising homegrown militancy as the “biggest threat” to national security – the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has decided to seek guarantees from the military for any peace dialogue with the government.

**

“Our central Shura (council) has unanimously decided to ask for the army’s guarantee for any talks with the government,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told The Express Tribuneby phone on Saturday.

He said the Taliban needed assurances from the security forces as the political leadership in Pakistan “has no powers.”

“Although we have not yet received any response to our dialogue offer, our leadership still hopes for a positive response,” Ehsan said.

**However, he ruled out any ceasefire with the government. “Our war is based on Islamic ideology as Pakistan was also achieved on the slogan of Islam. We have no option but to fight for Islam. This is our obligation,” he said.
**

“The Taliban leadership is of the opinion that the army’s doctrine was aimed at us when they say that they face internal threat or threats from western borders and that is why we will look for the army’s assurance,” the TTP spokesman said.

Justice system

Asked about the credibility of the banned group’s justice system, Ehsan said the group had their own system and regularly sought advice from religious scholars.

“If they kill our people, if they kill our prisoners, our teachers and our children then they will face similar fate. We will react and it is a tradition in our society,” he said, adding that the group also punished its own people if found guilty. “Recently, our religious scholars handed down death penalty to a TTP man and he was subsequently executed.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2013.

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Taleban Khan anyone? :bummer:

Pakistani Taliban express conditional willingness to hold talks | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

PESHAWAR: The spokesman for the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan has said that the organisation was willing to hold talks with the government and security forces provided that Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman or Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan were guarantors for the talks.

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^ yeh bhi aik saazish lagti hai mujhay! :halo:

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The first condition should be for Ehsan to surrender and stand trial for all the innocent’s he and his murderer thugs have killed.

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btw, social media would have erupted had TTP named IK as a guarantor.

But its awfully quiet when it comes to other politicians. Double standards.

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The first condition should be for all Taliban to turn themselves in from top to bottom... The condition should be surrender or we will make you surrender.

Then again, it is pakistan so you never know.. they may just give these nuts the keys to the asylum.

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Why Kashmir?

Kashmiris are not the ones blowing **** up. They're Pakistanis. Pakistan can deal with them. Stay out of Kashmir.

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^Thank you..

I am an agreement with Med911 here. They need to surrender completely from top to bottom, halt all attacks against civilians and then have talks with government.

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Pakistani Taliban suspends talks with government | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

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^ Lol.. We should thank them for further dissuading Pakistanis from approaching these criminals for the sake of "peace."

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^ or may be put on Waite by N$ coz elections on head and he do could MORE after grab the power!