Operation Is The Best Defence

They had their chance, now it’s our turn

A lot can change in a month. From posturing to pandering, the government moved swiftly as it bowed to Right-wing pressure – both from without and within – and sat down to talk to the Taliban. Representatives were agreed upon, committees were formed, meetings held and a charter of demands was laid out in record time.

Conspicuous by their absence on the negotiation table were the original signatories to the demand for talks at the last All-Parties Conference: the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the People’s Party and the Awami National Party. All, it seems, chose to distance themselves and even malign, the dialogue process.

The words of those who remained lacked all conviction. Imran Khan began qualifying his demand for dialogue with the proviso of an all-out operation if things went sour. The Taliban’s representatives were unable to secure guarantees to a cease-fire when it mattered most. Maybe they mistook the offer for talks as a weakness and wanted to see how far they could push. They miscalculated.

The army’s renewed offensive in North Waziristan is the only thing that has brought the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) screaming back for a cease-fire. They somersaulted on a key issue – the constitutional foundation, or lack thereof – for the talks. They regularly threw spanners into the works: the attack on policemen in Karachi, the slaying of 23 Frontier Corps personnel; it was like they never wanted negotiations to succeed in the first place.

Even the ruffians’ narrative stands defeated. The facetious calls for Shariah, Molvi Abdul Aziz’ passionate primetime defence of his Talibs, indeed the whole attempt to radicalize our national discourse and drive a wedge between sects; it all stands exposed for what it really was: a diversion, buying time.

To its credit, once the state realized it was being played – both in the media and on the battlefield – they moved equally quickly. Air raids in Mir Ali, the strikes in Tirah were the first salvos. The iron is hot and the State must put its full force behind the inevitable operation to come.

It is also imperative to the success of this government’s policies to revive the stalled economic machinery, bring in much-needed investment and stem the outflow of talent and resources to rescue our dwindling finances.

This can only happen if the TTP is not allowed time to regroup; there should be no fear of reprisals. The nation that has already sacrificed over 50,000 brave souls stands ready and willing, if it means an end to the terrorists’ reign of terror.