Is There Any Justification For Holding Talks With Criminals?
Muhammad Khurshid
March 06, 2008
Some political parties that won the election in Pakistan have now been holding talks with terrorists, who have been committing the crimes while using the name of Taliban. This new development has created great fear and resentment among the people. According to a report carried by newspapers, a ray of hope for peace and stability in the North-West Frontier Province is emerging, as the Awami National Party and the local Taliban have shown their will to hold talks to put an end to ongoing bloody wave of strikes in the province.
The Taliban have contacted the ANP leaders and offer them to hold talks on bloody series of attacks, especially in the province, the sources informed. A group of the local Taliban contacted Bacha Khan Markaz (the ANP headquarters in Peshawar) and hold talks with some party leaders three days back, they said.
The Taliban offered the ANP leaders to hold talks in order to stop activities of the militants against the security forces in various parts of the province, the sources said. When contacted, an ANP central leader, on condition of anonymity, confirmed such reports. He also confirmed that the group that contacted the Bacha Khan Markaz also includes representation from Maulana Fazlullah, a cleric who heads banned Tehrik-i-Nifaz-e-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Swat.
According to a comment, the proliferation of violence, particularly suicide bombings, in Pakistan from near conflict-zones like Swat and South Waziristan, to peaceful cities like Lahore, is fuelling a new wave of frustration and fear among the people. At least seven people were killed and 15 injured when a suicide bomber set off explosives while being prevented from entering Pakistan Navy War College.
Whether it was a suicide attack or an explosion by a remote-control device, the blast leaves a big question mark on the security of such important zones and also on the efficiency of our law enforcement agencies in dealing with the problem. The Navy War College is situated in the middle of an important zone that includes the Aitchison College and the GOR I, which is the official dwelling place of the government officials. This is not the first attack on a military establishment site. Security forces and military installations have come under a volley of attacks from extremists in recent months. Of late, an SSG unit was attacked in Tarbela. The Surgeon General of the Armed Forces was also killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi last month. The trend is symbolic of the fact that militants have a deep resentment, mainly against the policies of Musharraf government, especially in the tribal areas. But tackling militancy will remain a major challenge for the new democratic dispensation. The leaders of the parties elected to rule have vowed to resolve all the outstanding issues, besides addressing the grievances of tribesmen through talks.
The Navy War College trains naval officers from Pakistan and other countries as well and is therefore a very important installation of Pakistan's military. The location of such an important centre in the middle of densely populated area makes the population vulnerable to the attacks. Keeping these hazards in view it is hoped the government would shift all such key sites and institutes to other specially marked zones, rather than initiate a number of other creative measures for stopping the menace of terrorism which is rapidly drawing the country into the eye of storm.
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The Taliban have contacted the ANP leaders and offer them to hold talks on bloody series of attacks, especially in the province, the sources informed. A group of the local Taliban contacted Bacha Khan Markaz (the ANP headquarters in Peshawar) and hold talks with some party leaders three days back, they said.
The Taliban offered the ANP leaders to hold talks in order to stop activities of the militants against the security forces in various parts of the province, the sources said. When contacted, an ANP central leader, on condition of anonymity, confirmed such reports. He also confirmed that the group that contacted the Bacha Khan Markaz also includes representation from Maulana Fazlullah, a cleric who heads banned Tehrik-i-Nifaz-e-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Swat.
According to a comment, the proliferation of violence, particularly suicide bombings, in Pakistan from near conflict-zones like Swat and South Waziristan, to peaceful cities like Lahore, is fuelling a new wave of frustration and fear among the people. At least seven people were killed and 15 injured when a suicide bomber set off explosives while being prevented from entering Pakistan Navy War College.
Whether it was a suicide attack or an explosion by a remote-control device, the blast leaves a big question mark on the security of such important zones and also on the efficiency of our law enforcement agencies in dealing with the problem. The Navy War College is situated in the middle of an important zone that includes the Aitchison College and the GOR I, which is the official dwelling place of the government officials. This is not the first attack on a military establishment site. Security forces and military installations have come under a volley of attacks from extremists in recent months. Of late, an SSG unit was attacked in Tarbela. The Surgeon General of the Armed Forces was also killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi last month. The trend is symbolic of the fact that militants have a deep resentment, mainly against the policies of Musharraf government, especially in the tribal areas. But tackling militancy will remain a major challenge for the new democratic dispensation. The leaders of the parties elected to rule have vowed to resolve all the outstanding issues, besides addressing the grievances of tribesmen through talks.
The Navy War College trains naval officers from Pakistan and other countries as well and is therefore a very important installation of Pakistan's military. The location of such an important centre in the middle of densely populated area makes the population vulnerable to the attacks. Keeping these hazards in view it is hoped the government would shift all such key sites and institutes to other specially marked zones, rather than initiate a number of other creative measures for stopping the menace of terrorism which is rapidly drawing the country into the eye of storm.
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