The ending by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of the ceasefire deal it had made with the Pakistan Army should have been predicted, because the TTP’s demands had not been met. The expectations that the ceasefire would lead to some sort of amnesty have been proved unrealistic. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s desire to give the TTP an amnesty and bring it and its members into the mainstream has run ashore on the shoals of the TTP’s demands, which centre around continuing the fight against the military and to replicate the success of the Afghan Taliban against the USA. The PTI government was rash in attempting the talks because the Taliban have made some demands which cannot be fulfilled. The facilitation, which was expected from the Afghan Taliban, was also not forthcoming with the present outcome. Just as Pakistan claims it has no control over the Taliban, the Taliban claim they have no control over the TTP.
The TTP demand for the right to establish a political office in a third country shows they regard the Pakistani military as some sort of occupying force. The demand for the implementation of Sharia is beyond the competence of even the government to deliver and it shows that the TTP actually wants Sharia in place of the Constitution. Their demand that the integration of the former tribal areas into KP be reversed is probably more complicated than the original integration. The TTP seems to have forgotten that the Afghan Taliban got the withdrawal of foreign forces because they were inflicting more casualties than the USA was willing to accept to continue foreign occupation. It must not be forgotten that the Pakistan Army is a national army and the parallel breaks down.
The negotiations have not ended but how the talks will move forward if the TTP resumes its attacks is to be seen. This is an opportunity for the government to do two things: think hard about what it hopes to achieve and whether the talks lead that way; bring on board all those who have been direct victims of the TTP, including both parties and persons who have lost people to terrorism by TTP.
