Pakistan should talk to the Taliban: Imran Khan

[Bhushan]

Pakistan should talk to the Taliban: Imran Khan

LONDON: Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan called Thursday for the army to withdraw from Pakistan's tribal areas and for talks with the Taliban, warning that the country faced “catastrophe” otherwise.

Khan said the US-Pakistan military offensive in the areas bordering Afghanistan was turning locals massively against the United States and boosting support for the militants.

US drone strikes on militants were sparking “anger and hatred” in the area, said Khan, who leads the marginal Tehrik-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice).

“The solution is to hold a dialogue with the militants,” he told an audience at the Chatham House foreign policy thinktank in London.

“The solution is to win them onto our side, not to bomb them with airstrikes.” Otherwise, he warned: “If we continue with this military operation we are facing a catastrophe.”

The militants operating in the tribal areas did not share the beliefs of the Afghan Taliban, who wanted to create an Islamist state, he said.

“In my opinion, they are political Taliban, they are not religious Taliban."

“They will fade away as soon as the Pakistan army moves back and dialogue is held,” he added.

Khan said that Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf once described him as “a terrorist without a beard” for suggesting talks with the militants, but now it was an idea being promoted by others.

“Now even (Afghan President) Hamid Karzai considers (Taliban supreme leader) Mullah Omar to be a brother,” Khan added, to laughter from the audience.

He also criticised the tactics of the US military surge in Afghanistan.

“The only way I see the surge being effective is if they use their muscle to get the Taliban to the negotiating table."

“If they use the surge for more bloodshed, I can guarantee they will leave behind -- because they will leave -- a far more radical government than the one it replaced.”

A US drone strike in the lawless northwest border area Thursday targeted Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, officials said, although the militia denied reports that he was among 10 killed. –AFP

 

[Bhushan]

I think Pakistan should not stop military operations in tribal areas. TTP will die someday soon if these operations will continue for a while.

 

[Ahmad]

Talk about what? to kill innocent people in pakistan and afghanistan?

 

[DaRk WaVe]

Idiot, go play Cricket

 

[Bill Longley]

Imran khan is nuts

in 2000 i was in law college when he came to our college to adress us. I asked him about threat posed by Jehadies to our society( It was a year before 911) and He simply failed to understand what I asked. A journalist from a local paper re phrased my question but he failed again because he didnot know any thing.

Pakistani society is under going crisis people are frusturated due to acts of Pakistani elite and its conduct. In this phase people like to hear radical ideas.
if we start giving lift to people like imran khan it will be irony.

if some one say talk to TTP then I will ask then why not to talk with robbers, thiefs and criminals.
its beyond my understanding what Imran and PTI want to do

 

[Iggy]

Yea continue mercy to the terrorists till one of your own get killed by them ..Wonder will he show the same kindness to them after that too ??

 

[Gazzi]

India isn't someone who Pakistan should try and please, as alot of the support for these terrorists in Pakistan is from India anyway.

I personally am up for talks, at the end of the day, they have accused the Pakistan Army of killing their families and in response they are killing Pakistanis who are supporting the PA. As I have mentioned in a previous post, normally the military always leave room for negotiations and a door open for both sides to make peace, unfortunately Zardari has left very little parameters for this to happen, although the bombings recently have come down somewhat compared to its days when one went off nearly daily.

However, War alone will solve nothing, the Taliban will not go away, they have lived there for centuries, and when I say Taliban, I am talking about the people from these tribes and areas. We cannot conduct a genocide, we are not Indians operating in Kashmir.

At some point, we will have to talk, and I think these talks will have to happen at some point during early next year when the US starts pulling its main bulk of its forces out. This will greatly reduce the Indian involvement from over the border along with their ally Israel.

Taliban are still by far better for us to make Peace with, as we will always come together at some point somewhere down the line, unlike others in the region. They are more then happy to see Pakistan burn. The sooner we come to some conclusion the better.