keeninterest
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- Feb 21, 2008
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Of all the political leadership in Pakistan, IK seems to be the only one coming up with fresher ideas of how to seriously pursue the peace talks unlike in the past when on one behest or the other the peace talks were scuttled. Opening of office is another such idea.
Look at the proposal closely, and it comes across that IK is keen on cultivating a political space for the TTP. Now if they do take it up, over a period of time, the TTP might as well be forced to relook at their ways of achieving the end result, and violent means of achieving the same might be scrutinized closely by the TTP itself. Question comes to mind, will the TTP be really keen on any such political space because per se, they don’t consider the democracy, the parliament as Islamic, so what is it that IK has thought, and how will such a space be created. But there is something interesting on play here, this proposal is similar on lines to what the US and the Afghan government are doing for/with the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP might as well be adjusted likewise, so must he be thinking.
Let us understand why IK thinks on these lines, the compulsions, the motivations of being such a hardcore adherent of such views. Couple of things.
1 IK is a socio-leftist ideologue. What we refer to in India as a jholawala, though a refined version of the same. For him, the TTP represents a thought process that is prevalent, if not with the majority, but definitely with decently big enough numbers, and he sees a solution in implementing a part of what the TTP represents, so that the constituency that represents this thought process do not feel alienated.
Don’t forget the talk of taking everyone together that IK does, and in this, he has a scope for the far right as well. This also gets shown from the alliance partner they have in the KPK.
This, to a common Pakistani, comes across as repulsive because after a very long time they have a socialist at the helm and his views to them don’t concur with the otherwise jingoistic political and military leadership that they are used to listening.
2 Pre-poll plank of IK for the KPK province was peace, and now he can’t be seen as the one going back on his words without thoroughly exploring this idea and giving it a chance, otherwise the people of his province, who have suffered the most in this war, won’t again trust him and he can’t risk it at all. Don’t forget even the ANP in the last few days of their governance were forced to push for talks with the TTP.
3 IK prior to the polls talked a lot about the 90 days. The same have passed and nothing on ground seems to have changed and this has not gone too well, also there has been a sort of propaganda knit around the 90 days and the performance of the PTI . It is clear, and abundantly so that that nothing much on ground will change till the time there is peace on ground. Peace is as much as a lifeline for the political fortunes of the PTI, and IK would any day like to go for the talks, a political solution, than a military solution, because the military solution will be hugely time consuming, which will add to the compounding miseries of the people of the province bringing with it collateral damage and with it will greater resentment from the people of the KPK.
4 The alliance partner. Need one say more on this.
In all this and as it happens, the opposition and more so the PML-N, the MQM, the ANP, and the JUI –F, the 4 parties who feel the most threatened politically by the PTI are busy playing their part. The aim seems to be clear, and which is to put all the blame of the mayhem that is happening on IK and the PTI, because IK is the most vocal pro-talks, pro-peace voice, and for now, at least in the other provinces IK’s image is taking a beating. Let me also add, in case the peace talks score a success, rest assured, the PML-N will walk away with the laurels, because from the way the PML-N maneuvers itself politically, it comes across that these chaps have the political finesse of how to carry the message to the voter, something the PTI seems to lack.
This is going to be a long hard battle to fight, brace up for it. You talk to them or you fight them, whatever, there will be significant loses. But before you head for a war, give peace talks a chance which is going to be a slow, prolonged, and a painful process.
Let me finish by saying, you can’t show paradise to people in Afghanistan, and not expect people back home in Pakistan to dream the same!
Look at the proposal closely, and it comes across that IK is keen on cultivating a political space for the TTP. Now if they do take it up, over a period of time, the TTP might as well be forced to relook at their ways of achieving the end result, and violent means of achieving the same might be scrutinized closely by the TTP itself. Question comes to mind, will the TTP be really keen on any such political space because per se, they don’t consider the democracy, the parliament as Islamic, so what is it that IK has thought, and how will such a space be created. But there is something interesting on play here, this proposal is similar on lines to what the US and the Afghan government are doing for/with the Afghan Taliban, and the TTP might as well be adjusted likewise, so must he be thinking.
Let us understand why IK thinks on these lines, the compulsions, the motivations of being such a hardcore adherent of such views. Couple of things.
1 IK is a socio-leftist ideologue. What we refer to in India as a jholawala, though a refined version of the same. For him, the TTP represents a thought process that is prevalent, if not with the majority, but definitely with decently big enough numbers, and he sees a solution in implementing a part of what the TTP represents, so that the constituency that represents this thought process do not feel alienated.
Don’t forget the talk of taking everyone together that IK does, and in this, he has a scope for the far right as well. This also gets shown from the alliance partner they have in the KPK.
This, to a common Pakistani, comes across as repulsive because after a very long time they have a socialist at the helm and his views to them don’t concur with the otherwise jingoistic political and military leadership that they are used to listening.
2 Pre-poll plank of IK for the KPK province was peace, and now he can’t be seen as the one going back on his words without thoroughly exploring this idea and giving it a chance, otherwise the people of his province, who have suffered the most in this war, won’t again trust him and he can’t risk it at all. Don’t forget even the ANP in the last few days of their governance were forced to push for talks with the TTP.
3 IK prior to the polls talked a lot about the 90 days. The same have passed and nothing on ground seems to have changed and this has not gone too well, also there has been a sort of propaganda knit around the 90 days and the performance of the PTI . It is clear, and abundantly so that that nothing much on ground will change till the time there is peace on ground. Peace is as much as a lifeline for the political fortunes of the PTI, and IK would any day like to go for the talks, a political solution, than a military solution, because the military solution will be hugely time consuming, which will add to the compounding miseries of the people of the province bringing with it collateral damage and with it will greater resentment from the people of the KPK.
4 The alliance partner. Need one say more on this.
In all this and as it happens, the opposition and more so the PML-N, the MQM, the ANP, and the JUI –F, the 4 parties who feel the most threatened politically by the PTI are busy playing their part. The aim seems to be clear, and which is to put all the blame of the mayhem that is happening on IK and the PTI, because IK is the most vocal pro-talks, pro-peace voice, and for now, at least in the other provinces IK’s image is taking a beating. Let me also add, in case the peace talks score a success, rest assured, the PML-N will walk away with the laurels, because from the way the PML-N maneuvers itself politically, it comes across that these chaps have the political finesse of how to carry the message to the voter, something the PTI seems to lack.
This is going to be a long hard battle to fight, brace up for it. You talk to them or you fight them, whatever, there will be significant loses. But before you head for a war, give peace talks a chance which is going to be a slow, prolonged, and a painful process.
Let me finish by saying, you can’t show paradise to people in Afghanistan, and not expect people back home in Pakistan to dream the same!