By Amir Zia
Feb. 3, 2014
The News
I am sure that Prime Minister Sharif, given his penchant for non-violence and peace at every cost, will offer his usual soft grin for public consumption and continue to press for talks with the local Taliban no matter how many bombs they explode and security personnel and civilians they kill.
Many weak-hearts – like me – heaved a sigh of relief when last week Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to give peace yet another chance. We should be thankful to God that all the talk of “fighting force with force” has been abandoned. Sanity prevailed and Pakistan pulled back from waging an unnecessary war against the holy warriors for their justified anger and reaction against US drone attacks and the presence of Pakistani troops in the tribal areas.
The killing of our few thousand soldiers and insignificant attacks on defence installations can be forgiven to bring the local Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda allies on the negotiations table. The civilian deaths in suicide bombings and targeted killings can also be forgotten in the larger interest of the Muslim ummah. (Ideological states like Pakistan should never think in terms of national interest. The ummah’s interest remains paramount and supreme).
The Taliban fighters were only venting their pent-up steam and catharsis by bombing places of worship, schools and markets, beheading Pakistani soldiers and killing civilians – men, women and children.
Should we treat these ‘minor’ offences as a declaration of war on the state and high treason? Certainly not! Yes, we have tough laws against crimes like murder and terrorism, but don’t we know that mass killings often transform into a mere negotiating point and are seldom punished. This is the lesson of history. The French philosopher, Voltaire, so rightly said; “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers…”
Our two successive civilian governments have gone a step forward. Let alone mass killings, they don’t even believe in punishing a murderer. Remember that we have a moratorium placed on the death penalty. As far as high treason charges are concerned, isn’t Prime Minister Sharif’s government pressing them so dutifully against Pervez Musharraf – a former army chief? Musharraf’s ‘crimes and treason’ are far graver than all executions and mass killings committed by the ‘martyred’ and the living local Taliban leaders and their men put together. Under the able-leadership of premier Sharif, the government will negotiate, forget and forgive and reconcile with Mullah Fazlullah, and all his likes and their band of warriors, but will make sure that Musharraf is tried, convicted and punished.
All those beating their chests over the formation of a committee for peace talks with the militants and accusing the prime minister and his team of lack of vision and indecisiveness are lackeys of the United States. Period!
Our premier is a wise man. He is a man of peace. He articulates the collective wisdom of parliament where another wise-man-in-waiting, Imran Khan, has long been nudging and coaxing the government to embrace our estranged Taliban brothers. And let’s not forget all the other visionary and honest politicians inside and outside parliament – from Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq to Munawwar Hasan – who have also been advocating for a deal with the militants.
Prime Minister Sharif did no wrong by listening to the advice of fellow politicians and following his heart. His commitment to the elusive peace talks in spite of all the violence unleashed by the holy warriors places him in the same league of peaceniks like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In fact, our prime minister can safely be placed on a higher pedestal than that of India’s ‘Mahatma’ because, on hindsight, the British Raj forces appear less violent and bloodthirsty compared to the non-state Islamic warriors of today’s Pakistan.
Sticking to the policy of non-violence in this day and age – when Sharif is an all powerful prime minister and the army chief often seen tailing him in his outings – requires loads of restraint, a mighty heart and courage. Offering your other cheek after every symbolic insult and slap in the form of a bomb explosion and killings of some civilians or men in uniform can only be done by a man who really believes giving peace chance after chance. Our prime minister’s patience is inexhaustible.
Doesn’t this commitment to peace and talks’ make our honourable prime minister a frontrunner in the race for the next Nobel Peace Price? I wish it was in my power to nominate him for this coveted prize. But wishes are not horses, therefore, my dear reader your humble writer cannot get our beloved prime minister the much-deserved peace price.
Some distracters raise objections that prime minister failed to outline the parameters of negotiations. But haven’t they heard him saying that talks will be under the ambit of the constitution. This means 50 percent of the target has already been achieved. The remaining 50 percent seems difficult to materialise because the holy warriors don’t recognise the constitution and consider democracy against the tenets of Islam. Going by the government school grading system, 50 percent is well above passing marks.
Then we have those pessimists who express concerns about the give-and-take between the government and militants. Should this be a cause of concern when brothers negotiate among themselves? At least from the government side one can safely say that the talks will be done under the ‘whatever is mine is thine’ spirit. Of course, our Taliban brothers would keep whatever is already under their belt along with a few more morsels the government remains happy to part with.
The near-term demands and aspirations of the Taliban are clear and simple;
• The government should halt the US drone strikes. (This is the only one which Pakistan cannot fulfil as unfortunately Americans don’t listen to our sane counsel)
• Pull troops out of the tribal areas.
• Give local and foreign militants freedom to operate from Pakistani territory; this means allowing them to rest, regroup, plan and launch attacks in the region and across the globe in line with Al-Qaeda’s philosophy.
• Allow militants to run a state within a state and enforce their version of the Shariah in the areas they control.
• Give them freedom to expand and beef up their networks in all Pakistani cities and towns so that they can start influencing society and politics more and more.
• Permit militants to raise funds from the settled areas – from Karachi to Peshawar – through extortion (donation) and a few other unpopular means like bank robberies and kidnapping people for ransom.
• Free all their associates languishing in various jails
• And the state should compensate them through money and other incentives for offering resistance to their holy mission.
The long-term goal of our Taliban brothers is to do away with the constitution and democracy. Let’s keep hands on our hearts and ask ourselves honestly: is it such a huge price to pay for peace? Should we be bothered about the world’s reaction once we shake hands and strike a deal with the Taliban?
I am sure that Prime Minister Sharif, given his penchant for non-violence and peace at every cost, will offer his usual soft grin for public consumption and continue to press for talks with the local Taliban no matter how many bombs they explode and how many security personnel and civilians they kill.
Indeed it is a comforting thought that our leadership is so averse to fighting and so committed to non-violence. One feels assured that our state has so readily ended its monopoly on violence and accepted to share it with non-state actors who someday might become the new law themselves.
Therefore, let’s all talk about the possible success of these talks… let’s talk about the Pakistan of the future once these talks succeed. Let’s support these talks which recognise the local Taliban and other Al-Qaeda allies as legitimate players and stakeholders in our state. The prime minister and his men are on the right course… Pakistan is heading in the right direction. Let’s talk and keep talking… that’s the best we can do.
Feb. 3, 2014
The News
I am sure that Prime Minister Sharif, given his penchant for non-violence and peace at every cost, will offer his usual soft grin for public consumption and continue to press for talks with the local Taliban no matter how many bombs they explode and security personnel and civilians they kill.
Many weak-hearts – like me – heaved a sigh of relief when last week Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to give peace yet another chance. We should be thankful to God that all the talk of “fighting force with force” has been abandoned. Sanity prevailed and Pakistan pulled back from waging an unnecessary war against the holy warriors for their justified anger and reaction against US drone attacks and the presence of Pakistani troops in the tribal areas.
The killing of our few thousand soldiers and insignificant attacks on defence installations can be forgiven to bring the local Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda allies on the negotiations table. The civilian deaths in suicide bombings and targeted killings can also be forgotten in the larger interest of the Muslim ummah. (Ideological states like Pakistan should never think in terms of national interest. The ummah’s interest remains paramount and supreme).
The Taliban fighters were only venting their pent-up steam and catharsis by bombing places of worship, schools and markets, beheading Pakistani soldiers and killing civilians – men, women and children.
Should we treat these ‘minor’ offences as a declaration of war on the state and high treason? Certainly not! Yes, we have tough laws against crimes like murder and terrorism, but don’t we know that mass killings often transform into a mere negotiating point and are seldom punished. This is the lesson of history. The French philosopher, Voltaire, so rightly said; “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers…”
Our two successive civilian governments have gone a step forward. Let alone mass killings, they don’t even believe in punishing a murderer. Remember that we have a moratorium placed on the death penalty. As far as high treason charges are concerned, isn’t Prime Minister Sharif’s government pressing them so dutifully against Pervez Musharraf – a former army chief? Musharraf’s ‘crimes and treason’ are far graver than all executions and mass killings committed by the ‘martyred’ and the living local Taliban leaders and their men put together. Under the able-leadership of premier Sharif, the government will negotiate, forget and forgive and reconcile with Mullah Fazlullah, and all his likes and their band of warriors, but will make sure that Musharraf is tried, convicted and punished.
All those beating their chests over the formation of a committee for peace talks with the militants and accusing the prime minister and his team of lack of vision and indecisiveness are lackeys of the United States. Period!
Our premier is a wise man. He is a man of peace. He articulates the collective wisdom of parliament where another wise-man-in-waiting, Imran Khan, has long been nudging and coaxing the government to embrace our estranged Taliban brothers. And let’s not forget all the other visionary and honest politicians inside and outside parliament – from Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq to Munawwar Hasan – who have also been advocating for a deal with the militants.
Prime Minister Sharif did no wrong by listening to the advice of fellow politicians and following his heart. His commitment to the elusive peace talks in spite of all the violence unleashed by the holy warriors places him in the same league of peaceniks like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In fact, our prime minister can safely be placed on a higher pedestal than that of India’s ‘Mahatma’ because, on hindsight, the British Raj forces appear less violent and bloodthirsty compared to the non-state Islamic warriors of today’s Pakistan.
Sticking to the policy of non-violence in this day and age – when Sharif is an all powerful prime minister and the army chief often seen tailing him in his outings – requires loads of restraint, a mighty heart and courage. Offering your other cheek after every symbolic insult and slap in the form of a bomb explosion and killings of some civilians or men in uniform can only be done by a man who really believes giving peace chance after chance. Our prime minister’s patience is inexhaustible.
Doesn’t this commitment to peace and talks’ make our honourable prime minister a frontrunner in the race for the next Nobel Peace Price? I wish it was in my power to nominate him for this coveted prize. But wishes are not horses, therefore, my dear reader your humble writer cannot get our beloved prime minister the much-deserved peace price.
Some distracters raise objections that prime minister failed to outline the parameters of negotiations. But haven’t they heard him saying that talks will be under the ambit of the constitution. This means 50 percent of the target has already been achieved. The remaining 50 percent seems difficult to materialise because the holy warriors don’t recognise the constitution and consider democracy against the tenets of Islam. Going by the government school grading system, 50 percent is well above passing marks.
Then we have those pessimists who express concerns about the give-and-take between the government and militants. Should this be a cause of concern when brothers negotiate among themselves? At least from the government side one can safely say that the talks will be done under the ‘whatever is mine is thine’ spirit. Of course, our Taliban brothers would keep whatever is already under their belt along with a few more morsels the government remains happy to part with.
The near-term demands and aspirations of the Taliban are clear and simple;
• The government should halt the US drone strikes. (This is the only one which Pakistan cannot fulfil as unfortunately Americans don’t listen to our sane counsel)
• Pull troops out of the tribal areas.
• Give local and foreign militants freedom to operate from Pakistani territory; this means allowing them to rest, regroup, plan and launch attacks in the region and across the globe in line with Al-Qaeda’s philosophy.
• Allow militants to run a state within a state and enforce their version of the Shariah in the areas they control.
• Give them freedom to expand and beef up their networks in all Pakistani cities and towns so that they can start influencing society and politics more and more.
• Permit militants to raise funds from the settled areas – from Karachi to Peshawar – through extortion (donation) and a few other unpopular means like bank robberies and kidnapping people for ransom.
• Free all their associates languishing in various jails
• And the state should compensate them through money and other incentives for offering resistance to their holy mission.
The long-term goal of our Taliban brothers is to do away with the constitution and democracy. Let’s keep hands on our hearts and ask ourselves honestly: is it such a huge price to pay for peace? Should we be bothered about the world’s reaction once we shake hands and strike a deal with the Taliban?
I am sure that Prime Minister Sharif, given his penchant for non-violence and peace at every cost, will offer his usual soft grin for public consumption and continue to press for talks with the local Taliban no matter how many bombs they explode and how many security personnel and civilians they kill.
Indeed it is a comforting thought that our leadership is so averse to fighting and so committed to non-violence. One feels assured that our state has so readily ended its monopoly on violence and accepted to share it with non-state actors who someday might become the new law themselves.
Therefore, let’s all talk about the possible success of these talks… let’s talk about the Pakistan of the future once these talks succeed. Let’s support these talks which recognise the local Taliban and other Al-Qaeda allies as legitimate players and stakeholders in our state. The prime minister and his men are on the right course… Pakistan is heading in the right direction. Let’s talk and keep talking… that’s the best we can do.
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