In a recent development Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has made an unequivocal declaration that it would not negotiate with any of the present ruling party particularly the Awami National Party (ANP). At the same time the group has clarified that it is not involved in attacks on civilians recently while has reiterated that it would do to its utmost target North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines inside Pakistani territory. On the other hand the TTP has also refuted the reports that it would kill Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) head Imran Khan when the latter would enter Waziristan on his promised march of his party and civil society groups in September. All these are very important declarations from the most powerful insurgent group of Pakistan, based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
It may also be mentioned that TTP Spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, who made these declaration on behalf of the group also rubbished reports of rifts within the TTP, particularly between Amir Hakeemullah Mehsud and top commander Waliur Rahman. In addition to that the Ahsan also claimed that South Waziristan is still the strongest redoubt of the TTP.
Insofar as the TTP refusal of negotiating with the present ruling parties is concerned this was very much expected. In fact, this commentator a couple of weeks back in one of the commentary, “ANP renews talks offer to TTP”.
, (soon after the offer of talks by Awami National Party government to TTP) had analyzed (published on this website) that the TTP would reject the offer. I had written: The conditions appended with the offer forestall the prospect of any talks for the restoration of peace let alone meaningful one. The TTP is a terrorist group which could not be expected to give up arms. In fact, typically groups who have been waging a separatist insurgency could be anticipated to shun violence. But TTP is not a separatist group. Moreover, TTP cannot be reconciled to accept law and constitution of the land. Because apart from its oft-repeated justification of Pakistan alliance with the US against Taliban for its resorting to violence, the TTP has a full-fledge agenda of overrunning the state and its constitutional and legal structures. Against this backdrop it was more than evident that TTP would rubbish the talk offer from the ANP.
The Awami National Party (ANP)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government recently made a peace talk offer to tribal areas based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership. The offer was made by provincial Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain on the occasion of the second death anniversary of his lone son, Mian Rashid Hussan, who was killed by TTP militants in his native Pabbi village near Peshawar. While making the offer Mian Iftikhar Hussain said he was even ready to forgive the killers of his son for the sake of peace in the region. However, the offer of talks to the TTP was conditional. The minister has set the condition that before the talks the TTP fighters had to give up arms and recognize constitution and law of the land. In response the government of KP or to be precise the ANP would forgive the blood of hundreds of its leaders and workers who have been killed by the TTP.
Federal Interior Minister, Rahman Malik, of late, also made a similar conditional talks offer to the TTP.
While rejecting the talks offer from the ANP and Rahman Malik the TTP spokesman argued that as the present ruling parties are secular and liberal parties and the group consider them non-Muslim therefore, there is no point of negotiating with them. Moreover, that these parties have been pursuing the agenda of US-NATO, the infidels, and thus are like slaves. So the talks with these parties are of no value.
Although the TTP may be unwilling to talk to the present ruling parties due to its own reasons but at least the spokesman assertion that these parties are powerless is quite correct. Even these parties were given a mandate by the parliament which came up with a unanimous resolution in 2010 setting the framework for the talks but the government has not been able to progress on this front. This means that in the foreseeable future no peace talks will be staged and thus peace-negotiation is impossible with the TTP. This in turn means that there would be more bloodshed in the country particularly in FATA. This recalcitrant stand of the TTP would push the military authorities to re-launch offensive against the group which was first initiated in September 2009. However, it has failed to neutralize the insurgent group and retake South Waziristan from their stranglehold.
Labelling the current ruling parties as ‘liberal’ and ‘secular’ and thus its members as ‘infidels’ by the TTP is quite surprising because a liberal cannot be termed as infidel. Liberalism is a political and social philosophy not a religious ideology. But if the TTP thinks so it shows the Takfiri doctrine of Wahabism influence over the TTP. Takfiris simply considered all those including Muslims as infidels who do not follow their doctrinal interpretation of Islam.
Insofar as the TTP spokesman denying of rifts within the group is concerned, only time would tell whether the reports of the rifts were authentic. Cracks started appearing in the TTP late last year with the deposition of the Deputy Commander (Naib Ameer) Maulvi Faqir based in Bajaur, by the groups central Shura (Council). The rifts in the largest religious insurgent group of Pakistan had been reported by international wire agencies and also confirmed by local sources.
The central Shura of the TTP led by Hakimullah Mehsud decided to remove Maulvi Faqir Muhammad as the Deputy Commander of TTP. Faqir, who has also been heading the Taliban in the troubled Bajaur tribal agency of FATA, was made to serve as a “common” fighter. The reason for his removal (although not conceded by TTP command) was Faqir’s peace overtures to the government.
The latest communication made on August 10 on the eve of the country’s independent days by the TTP spokesman is critically important as it brings to light the new strategy of the group.
(The writer is a political analyst and researcher and soon to get his doctoral degree in the discipline of International Relations and has written the dissertation on religious Extremism-Terrorism in Pakistan: [email protected])
TTP Rejects Talk, Comes Up With New Strategy
In a recent development Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has made an unequivocal declaration that it would not negotiate with any of the present ruling party particularly the Awami National Party (ANP). At the same time the group has clarified that it is not involved in attacks on civilians recently while has reiterated that it would do to its utmost target North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines inside Pakistani territory. On the other hand the TTP has also refuted the reports that it would kill Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) head Imran Khan when the latter would enter Waziristan on his promised march of his party and civil society groups in September. All these are very important declarations from the most powerful insurgent group of Pakistan, based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
It may also be mentioned that TTP Spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, who made these declaration on behalf of the group also rubbished reports of rifts within the TTP, particularly between Amir Hakeemullah Mehsud and top commander Waliur Rahman. In addition to that the Ahsan also claimed that South Waziristan is still the strongest redoubt of the TTP.
Insofar as the TTP refusal of negotiating with the present ruling parties is concerned this was very much expected. In fact, this commentator a couple of weeks back in one of the commentary, “ANP renews talks offer to TTP”.
, (soon after the offer of talks by Awami National Party government to TTP) had analyzed (published on this website) that the TTP would reject the offer. I had written: The conditions appended with the offer forestall the prospect of any talks for the restoration of peace let alone meaningful one. The TTP is a terrorist group which could not be expected to give up arms. In fact, typically groups who have been waging a separatist insurgency could be anticipated to shun violence. But TTP is not a separatist group. Moreover, TTP cannot be reconciled to accept law and constitution of the land. Because apart from its oft-repeated justification of Pakistan alliance with the US against Taliban for its resorting to violence, the TTP has a full-fledge agenda of overrunning the state and its constitutional and legal structures. Against this backdrop it was more than evident that TTP would rubbish the talk offer from the ANP.
The Awami National Party (ANP)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government recently made a peace talk offer to tribal areas based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership. The offer was made by provincial Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain on the occasion of the second death anniversary of his lone son, Mian Rashid Hussan, who was killed by TTP militants in his native Pabbi village near Peshawar. While making the offer Mian Iftikhar Hussain said he was even ready to forgive the killers of his son for the sake of peace in the region. However, the offer of talks to the TTP was conditional. The minister has set the condition that before the talks the TTP fighters had to give up arms and recognize constitution and law of the land. In response the government of KP or to be precise the ANP would forgive the blood of hundreds of its leaders and workers who have been killed by the TTP.
Federal Interior Minister, Rahman Malik, of late, also made a similar conditional talks offer to the TTP.
While rejecting the talks offer from the ANP and Rahman Malik the TTP spokesman argued that as the present ruling parties are secular and liberal parties and the group consider them non-Muslim therefore, there is no point of negotiating with them. Moreover, that these parties have been pursuing the agenda of US-NATO, the infidels, and thus are like slaves. So the talks with these parties are of no value.
Although the TTP may be unwilling to talk to the present ruling parties due to its own reasons but at least the spokesman assertion that these parties are powerless is quite correct. Even these parties were given a mandate by the parliament which came up with a unanimous resolution in 2010 setting the framework for the talks but the government has not been able to progress on this front. This means that in the foreseeable future no peace talks will be staged and thus peace-negotiation is impossible with the TTP. This in turn means that there would be more bloodshed in the country particularly in FATA. This recalcitrant stand of the TTP would push the military authorities to re-launch offensive against the group which was first initiated in September 2009. However, it has failed to neutralize the insurgent group and retake South Waziristan from their stranglehold.
Labelling the current ruling parties as ‘liberal’ and ‘secular’ and thus its members as ‘infidels’ by the TTP is quite surprising because a liberal cannot be termed as infidel. Liberalism is a political and social philosophy not a religious ideology. But if the TTP thinks so it shows the Takfiri doctrine of Wahabism influence over the TTP. Takfiris simply considered all those including Muslims as infidels who do not follow their doctrinal interpretation of Islam.
Insofar as the TTP spokesman denying of rifts within the group is concerned, only time would tell whether the reports of the rifts were authentic. Cracks started appearing in the TTP late last year with the deposition of the Deputy Commander (Naib Ameer) Maulvi Faqir based in Bajaur, by the groups central Shura (Council). The rifts in the largest religious insurgent group of Pakistan had been reported by international wire agencies and also confirmed by local sources.
The central Shura of the TTP led by Hakimullah Mehsud decided to remove Maulvi Faqir Muhammad as the Deputy Commander of TTP. Faqir, who has also been heading the Taliban in the troubled Bajaur tribal agency of FATA, was made to serve as a “common” fighter. The reason for his removal (although not conceded by TTP command) was Faqir’s peace overtures to the government.
The latest communication made on August 10 on the eve of the country’s independent days by the TTP spokesman is critically important as it brings to light the new strategy of the group.
(The writer is a political analyst and researcher and soon to get his doctoral degree in the discipline of International Relations and has written the dissertation on religious Extremism-Terrorism in Pakistan: [email protected])