No, this is not a thread about the punctures issue nor other areas of political showcraft. The question which is going to be explored here is what if Imran Khan has it all wrong when it comes to TTP.
Over the years we have witnessed Imran's carefully crafted narrative in support of negotiating with the TTP. He drew parallels with the IRA peace process and so on. Cutting the long story short, he did manage to convince many people that negotiations are the only option.
Looking at his narrative carefully over the years, i believe that he is not only ill informed about the conflict but also holds a flawed understanding of conflict dynamics concerning TTP vs the State.
We thought that after the spectacular success of operation zarb e azb and APS massacre Mr. Khan would alter his opinions but as soon as Murree negotiations started between two foreign entities he was singing the old song all over again.
1: His narrative that TTP wants negotiations is misleading as there have been half a dozen attempts to achieve it without any success . Swat is a good example of TTPs mercenary nature where they didn't keep their end of the deal .
2: He grossly underestimates what Pakistan Army can do through focused forced projection. He was trying to create a falsehood that Army feels stuck and we should therefore cut a shady deal with the TTP and pull our forces back. Op ZEA has destroyed his claim.
3: He thinks Murree peace process should be repeated with TTP. What he fails to see is that Afghan Taliban haven't been internationally tagged as a terrorist organization while TTP is.This makes any negotiations with TTP unconstitutional.
4: He has no understanding of the tactical situation on the battlefield. Army has squarely won the war and from this point onwards TTP has no sanctuaries in Pakistan. This means that the state only needs to re establish its writ because negotiations with TTP don't offer any strategic advantage.
5: India is backing TTP, so indirectly we would be negotiating with India ? - On what terms? - to what end ?
6: He lacks compassion. Would he have the same opinion if Sulaiman and Qasim were massacred in APS? - I'd doubt that.
7: He is surrounded by fanatics who actually support the TTP. Not just JI but his party itself has people who hold a soft corner for TTP.
8: He can't contemplate how to politically capitalize on a military victory.
9: He thinks its okay to legitimise an international terrorist group by negotiations conducted with the state.
10: He refused to become part of the delegation of negotiators when a last ditch attempt was made before the operation.
In my opinion IKs judgement on TTP issue is flawed on a moral, political, strategic and tactical level. After the success of the operations in North Waziristan he should be calling for only one kind of negotiations, to lay down the terms of TTP's surrender.
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Share your thoughts.
Very well put
@Horus, but wasn't he discredited way before than any of that? To reasonable people, who might not be suffering from fanboyism. Now this is the guy who went far and wide about change and how all the political parties are full of corrupt politicians, yet when the very same politicians joined PTI, all of a sudden they were clean. It was as if they had performed political hajj and are clear of their past sins. When some one allows people like Sheikh Rasheed to set narrative, we shouldn't expect much to begin with.
But one thing I might say, it was not only IK who was confused about dealing with TTP, but parts of Pakistani populace as well, but after APS incident all those apologists have no excuse left so weather they like it or not they had to support the operation. Idiots like JI's previous head would still present excuses for these takfiri bastards, but they couldn't find any traction.
If you think IK have any credibility left after whole 35 puncture incident you might as believe earth is flat.
Is this for real? It might have been a decent post had it not been for some farcical conclusions drawn and comments made and then in #6 you got personal by talking about Imran Khan's sons. That is just cheap.
How is questioning IK's stance had he lost his own sons to these terrorists wrong? Would he sing the same tune? or he would want these monsters to be dealt with. No body wishes any such harm to his for that matter any ones children.
Imran Khan may not have ALL the answers to ALL of Pakistan's ills, but he sure does have enough answers to enough of Pakistan's problems to put the country on the right track.
He is suffering from self righteousness or Messiah syndrome and his followers are blindly following everything he states. The saner ones had already stopped supporting political circus known as PTI.
His take on extremism / TTP is a time-tested one. You cannot permanently defeat non-state actors only militarily.
Really, then Horus whole post would be irrelevant but that is not the case.
As for Pakistan Army 'squarely' winning the war; yeah well I'm all up for winning but if you have to bulldoze and destroy entire towns and cities to do that, or round up innocent young men under 'suspicion' of being TTP guys and then torturing them and dumping their dead bodies here n there, I wonder whether its worth it.
Yes it is worth it, TTP and its affiliates of thugs made the lives of locals worse than living hell, for over a decade confused political and military leadership dilly dallied and allowed these scums to spread far and wide, allowing them to spill blood of Pakistanis by thousands.
They deserve everything that came to them, are you suggesting that these people should be shown mercy? The ones who cut the heads of our soldiers and kicked them around, murdered thousands of Pakistanis. No they deserve everything that is being done to them.
This is not to be taken as a sweeping statement but if we want reconciliation and truth to lead to national harmony; we have to be honest to ourselves. Pakistan Army is notorious for extra-judicial killings, kidnapping and torture. And now I will wait for people on this forum to claim I'm an Indian/American/Israeli agent. lmao!
Re-conciliation with whom? I am sorry but its clear that like IK you do not have understanding of the fundamental difference when it comes to war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Americans are occupiers, and Afghan government is considered a puppet of US, whereas PA is not conquering instead liberating our lands from these thugs. Please understand this fundamental difference.
If Americans and Afghan government in Kabul can come to the table with Afghan Taliban; what's wrong with Imran Khan's standpoint of a dialogue with TTP? Again, this is not some utopian cry for dialogue at 'all' costs come what may. Imran Khan said so as well, it is conditional. Those splinter groups or factions amongst TTP itself that refuse to come to the dialogue, they have already chosen their fate as death and defeat by the brave Pakistani Armed Forces, for them there should be no quarter (but at the same time, there must not be cold blooded murder under the guise of 'military ops').
Aren't you contradicting yourself here, you said that sympathizers and abettors of these thugs are turning up dead.
Then you claim emphatically that TTP is being supported by India; as much as I want to believe that and do to some extent, I have yet to see any hard evidence of it. Pakistan has not raised this issue at any international organization or forum to my knowledge thus far.
It would be naive to demand hard evidence, as some how you will be the arbitrator and the decision must be taken. There is ample anecdotal evidence of Indian involvement with TTP and BLA, yet I find it funny when Pakistanis demand that they are to be shown concrete evidence for it. If only they had demanded such proves from the politicians they follow wholeheartedly.
On an international forum, its about time Pakistan start to raise the issue.
To sum it up, your take on Imran Khan's views is naive to say the least. Now hopefully I don't get banned for speaking my mind freely.
Its always funny to see fan boys accusing others of having naive views, when with in the same sentence they contradict themselves over and over.Good luck.
It has more to do with the fact that you need to stop watching ISPR fed propaganda and do some research on your own. It is pretty much common knowledge that torture and extra-judicial killings form a significant part of Pakistan army, FC, Rangers, modus operandi when dealing with non-state actors - and innocent civilians are routinely picked up, tortured and then their bodies are found in a ditch somewhere.
Here is a brief sample:
Pakistan: Extrajudicial Executions by Army in Swat | Human Rights Watch
And hence true colors are revealed. Another terrorist apologist and sympathizer, who supports IK. No surprise there.
