US & Nato are foreign power whereas Pakistan has an elected Govt. Here foreign Taliban (Afghan, Chechens, Uzbecks, and Arabs etc.) have taken over territory belonging to Pakistan (North Waziristan). US argument doesnt apply in Pakistan, here Taliban are the occupiers and the aggressors and Pakistan is the victim.
Taliban have brazenly declared that they want to establish an Islamic Emirate in Pakistan and they accept Mulla Omer as Amir ul Momineen. Are we going to disband National & Provincial Assemblies and abandon Pakistans Constitution?
Munawwar Hassan & his party are inherently anti- Pakistan State. Naturally he expects Pakistanis to pull their pants down for the enemies of the state; he would be happy to see Pakistan destroyed. JI does not & will never reflect will of majority of Pakistani public as evidenced time & again in the elections. Let them bark to their hearts content. It is of little consequence.
I am not against talks but what is the agenda? As Gen Kiyani has said talk yes but surrender NO.
When the General wants to hold the talks, and you too say you are pro-talks, then what is the problem when someone from JI advocates the same?
You wonder what is the agenda, but Munawwar Hassan has clearly requested the government the hold the talks, and it would be on the government to appoint whoever it wishes to, to lead the talks. If such is the fear that JI might be pro-Taliban, then do not include its members in the talks.
Do you not think he has advocated a practical approach by advocating mere the "talks"?
Yes, the Taliban has indeed declared that it was to turn the Islamic Republic into an Islamic Emirate, but how capable are they at achieving that? I would suppose that if they were taken as a real and serious threat, Pakistani Army would have gotten Pakistan rid of them already.
There is no denying the fact that Taliban will have a stake in Afghanistan (they still do) after US's departure from Afghanistan next year. So, just as, irrespective of how much India would want Pakistan to have no say in post-US Afghanistan, Pakistan is going to have a greater say there, Taliban too is going to have a big say in that Afghanistan and we, esp Pakistan, cannot afford to be blind to that.
The worst that can happen is that the talks may fail. But if things were to take a positive turn, Pakistan's influence in Afghanistan could be amplified by a pro-Pakistan Taliban over there.
I would think that the smart Pakistani statesmen might want to negotiate a peace deal with Taliban inside Pakistan, in return for providing a heavy support by PA in Afghanistan.
My conclusion is, if achieved, a pre-2001 type of Islamic administration in Afghanistan would heavily expand Pakistan's influence in the region. So what harm is there in going for talks with the Taliban when India and US have already shown great interest in that?
I mean, who knows, Americans and Indians, both can be pretty sneaky and might have already been through some heavy negotiations by now without letting others know. You do know that the US and India both want an "anti-Pakistan" Afghanistan, right?