PML-N, PTI approach Samiul Haq for deal with Taliban

[Edevelop]

ISLAMABAD: Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the father of the Taliban, on Saturday said that he could help strike a peace deal between the Taliban and the government of Pakistan but hurriedly added that he would get into this tricky business only if the incoming government and the army are on the same page and remain firm for a negotiated solution to the problem of terrorism and extremism, despite a possible US backlash.


Talking to The News from Akora Khattak on phone, the Maulana said that any division between the army and the civilian leadership on the option of a negotiated solution with the Taliban, would mean no dialogue, no peace. He said that for a meaningful peace dialogue the civilian governments (the incoming Nawaz Sharif government at the Centre and PTI’s in KPK) and the army would have to be on the same page besides showing their firmness that they would not dither or backtrack even an inch from the dialogue process even if the US later exerts pressure.


Maulana Samiul Haq, who has already been approached by the PML-N and the PTI to help them in the negotiated solution of the menace of terrorism, said that so far he has not moved despite getting positive signals from the Taliban side as well. He said that this is a very tricky business and requires sincerity and conviction from all parties concerned.


Unless he is satisfied that the government and the army are sincere and firm to pursue the dialogue process, he said, he would not get involved in it. Maulana Samiul Haq is confident about his influence on the Taliban — both local and the Afghan — and assured that he would even talk to the top Taliban leader Mulla Omar, whom he terms as the Amirul Momineen, for the required assurances on behalf of the Taliban.


Maulana Samiul Haq, who is a religious scholar and is known for his close ties with the Taliban, warned that if the civilian leadership (the Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan governments) and the army do not reach an agreement on reaching a negotiated solution it would neither help initiate the peace process nor would it be good for the civilian-military relationship.


He feared that once the government of Nawaz Sharif decides to initiate the peace dialogue with Taliban, Washington may bring pressure on Islamabad to sabotage the peace process. In such a situation if Nawaz Sharif dithers, he said, it would be very dangerous and may further deteriorate the situation.


He said that the PML-N top leader Nawaz Sharif has conveyed to him through Salim Saifullah that Sharif wants to play his role to give peace a chance. He said that the same day when he received Nawaz Sharif’s message, he was visited by the top PTI KPK leadership including the chief minister in-waiting Pervez Khattak for the same purpose.

Maulana Samiul Haq said that Khattak has assured him that the KPK assembly would adopt a resolution against drone attacks besides demanding of the federal government to get Pakistan out of the US war on terror.

PML-N, PTI approach Samiul Haq for deal with Taliban - thenews.com.pk

 

[Jango]

Didn't PML and PTI both deny that they approached him for talks?

 

[Leader]

Talks to give up arms, surrender to the State of Pakistan, unlike what PPP/Military did in Swat by handing over Swat to taliban !!

 

[Devil Soul]

Shift in power: Can JUI-S bring the Taliban to the table?
PESHAWAR:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister designate Pervez Khattak made contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) Chief Maulana Samiul Haq to discuss the possibility of a peaceful settlement with the Taliban.

Sami, who is in his late seventies, heads Darul Uloom Haqqania, one of the largest Deobandi seminaries in the country. In the past, this seminary has issued an honorary degree to Taliban leader Mullah Mohamad Omar.

Why the JUI-S?
These initial attempts to establish contact with Sami signify a policy shift in the new government’s approach to the Taliban as the JUI-S has never been accorded such importance in reaching a political settlement to Pakistan’s bloody insurgency.

Professor Khadim Hussain, an analyst and academic at Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University, believes even though Sami does not have much political clout, his seminary had been a strong recruitment ground for militants in the early 1980s and 1990s.

“So now Sami enjoys significant influence over several diverse militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), groups affiliated with Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) and the Afghan Taliban,” explains Hussain. “Perhaps this is the reason he is being considered for the role.”

JUI-S Provincial Amir Maulana Yousaf Shah told The Express Tribune Khattak had personally visited Sami, while Nawaz had also made contact regarding peace talks. “This issue needs to be resolved through dialogue and we have been saying this from day one,” he argued.

Shah added if the politicians were really interested, Maulana Sami could play a role in the reconciliation process. However, Shah laid emphasis on the military’s nod of approval as well.

“Sami will play his role when rulers and the powers that be are ready to solve these issues through dialogue,” stated Shah. It is the military which is primarily party to a dispute, not the politicians. “There can be no solution without the army’s agreement.”

Shah maintained Sami had enough clout in the tribal areas as many influential clerics were his disciples to assist in talks with the TTP.

He claimed unless the new government refused to bow down to the United States, there could be no agreements with the Taliban.

Fazl left in the cold
As things currently stand, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has been passed over by incoming government for Sami. It remains to be seen how the JUI-F will react to this development, especially since it often claims to be the country’s largest religiously-inclined political party.

A few months ago, the JUI-F had constituted a grand jirga comprising tribal elders from all agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman had shown a keen interest in laying down a proper mechanism which would facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.

Following the assassination of K-P senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Fazl presented the jirga as the only viable forum to discuss peace with the militants. On these grounds, he gathered several political leaders in Islamabad in February at an all-parties conference (APC).

At this moment in time it was premature to comment as the new government had not yet been formed, said JUI-F spokesperson Haji Jalil Jan. He asserted his party had not been bypassed or ignored in the process. The declaration of February’s APC stated all peace talks would take place under the auspices of Fazl’s jirga. “Nawaz Sharif himself signed that declaration,” Jan reminded.

Professor Khadim Hussain, however, had doubts about the militants ultimately accepting Fazl’s lead in the peace process. He explained Fazl had been part of the country’s political machinery in one capacity or the other for a considerable period of time. He still aspires to be involved and militants will not easily accept him as a mediator for this very reason, added Hussain.

Despite this analysis, Hussain maintained it was unlikely that either Fazl or Sami could effectively negotiate with the TTP as militants continue to carry out attacks across the country. “If talks are held with militants at this very moment, it means submitting to the Taliban’s diktats.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.
Shift in power: Can JUI-S bring the Taliban to the table? – The Express Tribune

 

[Devil Soul]

its good to see that PMLN & PTI are on the same page in how to approach Talibans, i feel if these 2 parties work together on national issues, Pakistan will Insha'Allah get out of the mess created by previous Gov's. Plus Maulana Sami ul Haq is the right man to approach for a peace deal between Pak & Taliban, but they should lay down their arms.

 

[Awesome]

Nifaz-e-Shariat cannot be part of this deal.

 

[ice_man]

we can't keep fighting forever because clearly we are not DEFEATING them. so best is talk to them every war ends at a treaty!

 

[Mantari]

He is calling mullah omar amir ul momineen and he is called father of taliban?. He should be recognized as father of terrorists and should be arrested for his links with terrorists who are responsible for deaths of 3 thousands pak soldiers. He should be hanged in chowk and made example of.....if army cant do it for various reasons then they should allow america to drone his residence in akora khattak.

Talks to give up arms, surrender to the State of Pakistan, unlike what PPP/Military did in Swat by handing over Swat to taliban !!

Surrender to state and trialed for their crimes.

 

[BATMAN]

 

[Awesome]

we can't keep fighting forever because clearly we are not DEFEATING them. so best is talk to them every war ends at a treaty!

Depends upon what you talk to them about. You cannot have them impose Shariah on us.

 

[ice_man]

Depends upon what you talk to them about. You cannot have them impose Shariah on us.

lol i am sure none of our leaders wish to impose shariah! even imran or nawaz! and specially NOT SHARIAH of TTP!!!!!!

 

[Awesome]

lol i am sure none of our leaders wish to impose shariah! even imran or nawaz! and specially NOT SHARIAH of TTP!!!!!!

Yes but in the past we've seen the mentality go like "Oh yaar woh sab kabayli log chahtay hi yeh hain toh karne doh Shariah unko". Turns out majority does want TTP style Shariah in theory, but practical implementation is only khoon kharaba and then we after getting lakh laanat from the world we do a U-turn on it.

Constitution of Pakistan is the law. You cannot have one law for FATA and one law for the rest of Pakistan.

 

[Jango]

lol i am sure none of our leaders wish to impose shariah! even imran or nawaz! and specially NOT SHARIAH of TTP!!!!!!

Then what will you negotiate?

I don't see Taliban backing off from their demand of a Taliban Shariah state.

If you can't give them that, what will you give? They aren't gonna surrender for nothing.

 

[Zarvan]

Then what will you negotiate?

I don't see Taliban backing off from their demand of a Taliban Shariah state.

If you can't give them that, what will you give? They aren't gonna surrender for nothing.

@Armstrong @nuclearpak you will have to bring in Ulemas like Mufti Taqi Usmani and Mufti Rafi Usmani and others and than talk to Taliban and than recheck constitution change things which are not according to Islam and add new ones other wise this war will continue for next 1000 years even more than that

 

[Jango]

@Armstrong @nuclearpak you will have to bring in Ulemas like Mufti Taqi Usmani and Mufti Rafi Usmani and others and than talk to Taliban and than recheck constitution change things which are not according to Islam and add new ones other wise this war will continue for next 1000 years even more than that

So somebody kills 40k Pakistanis and injures thousands more, and you then accept their demands for constitutional changes?

If they want to change the constitution, they need to contest in elections...PERIOD.

They want a complete Shariah state of their style, we don't want that...what will you negotiate with then?

Trust me on this, the 'peace' honeymoon will go bust in a matter of months.