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‘Major surprises’ expected in talks with militants, ISI

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‘Major surprises’ expected in talks with militants, ISI tells senators
By Irfan Ghauri
Published: December 30, 2011

ISLAMABAD: In an unusual three-hour meeting behind closed doors, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Shuja Pasha and his deputies briefed a Senate panel on the country’s war against terror policy, which they claimed is going through a “holistic review” to correspond with changes in the United States’ plans in Afghanistan.
Some “major surprises” are expected in Islamabad’s peace talks with the Taliban, the agency said during the briefing at the ISI headquarters in Islamabad on Thursday, according to sources.
Around five members of the Senate’s standing committee on defence, headed by former ISI chief Lt General (Retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, were briefed on the ISI’s role, particularly in terms of the war against terrorism.
Declining from attending the briefing, Senator Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Professor Khurshid Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were of the view that the agency should have come to the parliament for this meeting.
Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Jamali and Senator Tariq Azim were out of the country, whereas Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani was unable to turn up due to his health condition, a participant of the briefing said.
Members who did attend the meeting shared very little information of the in-camera session that went on from 10 am to 1 pm.
“After the ISI officials briefed the participants about the functions of their agency, members posed various questions before the agency officials to clarify the myths and reality associated with the ISI,” a participant said.
Some of the participants were curious about the agency’s modus operandi in terms of the country’s political affairs; however, sources said, the spy chief opted to skip such questions.
The ISI official denied that the agency plays any role in the country’s political affairs, a participant said, while another claimed that Pasha admitted to the agency’s involvement but said that the ISI simply does what is asked of it by the government, be it civilian or military.
“They [ISI officials] said ‘we have been doing what the government of the time asks us to do … these days there are no such directions from this civilian government’,” a senator said.
During the briefing the ISI chief and his deputies confirmed that talks with the Taliban, mainly homegrown militants, were at an advanced stage and some major breakthrough was expected over the next few months.
The ISI officials were confident that there would be some “big surprises” on this front, the senator said, adding that according to the ISI officials, the overall dimension of the Afghan situation is rapidly changing. “We continue to review our policy with a holistic approach to correspond with changes in the policy of the major players,” another senator quoted the spy agency’s officials as saying.
To a question regarding the Osama bin Laden debacle, the senator said the ISI feels the episode was not solely the agency’s failure but was also a failure on the CIA’s part and that of top spy agencies of other allied countries.
There was no discussion, however, on the Memogate affair, the participants claimed.
One participant from a military background said he was not only satisfied with the briefing, but also paid accolades to the ISI. “The ISI is the best spy agency in the world. It has been succeeding in its mission. Bashing of the ISI and the army by the people of Pakistan is unfortunate … they do not know the real functions of this agency,” he said.
Professor Khurshid Ahmed who boycotted the briefing said he and a few other colleagues of his believed that every institution, including the armed forces, should come before the parliament to give such briefings – unless there is something that they cannot divulge before the house.
(Read: Talking to the Taliban)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2011.
 
Professor Khurshid Ahmed who boycotted the briefing said he and a few other colleagues of his believed that every institution, including the armed forces, should come before the parliament to give such briefings – unless there is something that they cannot divulge before the house.

Maulvi Saab

It is just parliament, not the house of Allah.
If other people from the committee could go, why did you alone had problems?
Time to unclench your butt cheeks and behave like you should.
 
Taliban pledge not to target security forces

Updated 15 minutes ago

Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: On the directive of their supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban on Sunday formed a joint five-member Shura or council with Pakistani militant organisations, making a pledge to stop their fight against their own armed forces and instead focus their attention against the US-led forces in Afghanistan.

After weeks of hectic efforts, a high-level delegation of the Afghan Taliban, sent by the Taliban supreme leader, finally succeeded in bringing together different Pakistan militant groups on a single platform and make a promise that they would stop fighting the Pakistani security forces and end suicide attacks, kidnappings for ransom and killing of innocent people in the country, particularly in the militancy-hit tribal areas.

Taliban sources said Mulla Omar was not happy with the Pakistani Taliban for carrying out suicide attacks, kidnapping people for ransom and killing innocent people. He had also sent his senior commanders to persuade them to stop the “un-Islamic” activities or to stop referring to him (Mulla Omar) as their supreme leader.

Also, the sources said that Mulla Omar was worried by the increasing number of Pakistani Taliban diverting their attention from Afghanistan to Pakistan and making it difficult for the Afghan Taliban to continue their resistance against the powerful Nato and Isaf forces.

Mulla Omar, according to Taliban sources, wanted the Pakistani Taliban groups to focus on Afghanistan, where their fight against the foreign forces was in a decisive phase. “Convey my message to the Pakistani Taliban that you have forgotten the real purpose, which is to fight the invading forces in Afghanistan and liberate it from their occupation,” said a Taliban leader quoting Mulla Omar.

Also, he said Mulla Omar was very upset at frequent kidnapping of people on suspicion of spying for the US forces and their merciless killing and urged them to stop it immediately. Pakistani militant groups, which signed the accord and promised to work together with the Afghan Taliban, stop kidnappings for ransom and killing of innocent people, included Maulvi Nazeer group in South Waziristan, Hakimullah Mahsud group, Maulana Waliur Rahman group, both operating in South Waziristan and part of the TTP, Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in North Waziristan and the powerful Haqqani Network.

The Taliban on Sunday issued a leaflet in North Waziristan in which all militant groups were directed to stop kidnappings for ransom and killing of innocent people; otherwise, the five-member Shura would investigate if it received any complaint and suggest punishment for any group found guilty.

All groups had provided one member each to the five-member Shura that was also given the task to resolve differences between the militant groups besides discouraging kidnappings for ransom and killing of innocent people.

It was a surprise that the TTP leader Hakimullah Mahsud and his deputy Maulana Waliur Rahman were shown in the leaflet sending different people to the Shura to represent them.

Hakimullah Mahsud has given the name of Maulvi Noor Saeed, the TTP leader in Orakzai Agency, to represent him in the Shura while Maulvi Azmatullah will represent Maulana Waliur Rahman in the forum.

Some sources, however, argued that Hakimullah Mahsud’s nominee would represent the TTP while Maulana Waliur Rahman’s representative would be sitting in the council on behalf of the Taliban of South Waziristan.

The powerful Haqqani Network has chosen Maulvi Saeedullah; Hafiz Gul Bahadur selected Maulvi Sadar Hayat and Maulvi Nazeer nominated Hafiz Ameer Hamza to represent them in the council that would be called “Shura-e-Murakeba”. The militant groups were directed to cooperate with the Shura members in their job. It also threatened that any individual or group found guilty would be dealt with according to the Islamic Sharia.
Taliban pledge not to target security forces
 
Mullah Omar had earlier made such appeals to Pakistani Taliban but they did not stop attacks on innocent people and Pak Army.

Pakistani Taliban have some elements in between them who a fighting a proxy war in Pakistan ,same as they claim Pakistan is doing in Afghanistan
 
There's no use fighting with them. The west think we are helping them and they think we are helping the west.

Pakistan is getting destroyed by both the taliban and the west.

Pakistan should've never involved itself in the war OF terror in the first place. Most of the time neutrality is the best option.


The west will never recognize your sacrifices no matter how many of your soldiers die, how many of your civilians die, or how many more billions your economy suffers.
 
There will always be a Fraction of people who will try to sabotage every Negotiation & Step we take towards peace, We know who they are we know who pays them & NOW we know where are are hiding , InshaAllah it will be Soon enough when we will eliminate every last Root of This Tree of Terrorism that West Sowed in Pakistan.

We may have lost Many battles ,but now due to the efforts & sacrifices of our forces we are Ending the War , They were the ones who started this War on their terms , we will be the One's ending it on our terms .
 
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