Scribe files plea against ISI’s peace moves with ‘Pak Taliban’

A journalist has filed a petition in Pakistan's Supreme Court seeking to prevent the recently-elected Nawaz Sharif government or the military from holding negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying this is forbidden by Constitution of Pakistan.

The petition filed by freelance journalist Shahid Orakzai on Tuesday asks how armed forces of the country can propose a truce with rebels in Pakistani territory.

Seeking to make the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee a respondent through its chairman, Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, the petitioner sought to know whether a citizen was empowered by country's constitution to negotiate peace with a private army (TTP) waging war on Pakistan.

He requested the apex court to direct JCSC chairman to prevent any contact between the TTP and any politico-religious person/party advocating peace with the militant group.

''The ISI chief should also be directed to identify people, who were in contact with TTP and their mode of communication,'' the petitioner said.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organisation of various Islamist militant groups based in the northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP.

The petitioner prayed that court should seek view from JCSC chairman on whether armed forces have lost any ground or territory to militants in the country ''and report action taken against them''.

Orakzai said he was seeking an immediate halt to what he called a ''double-crossing'' move by some politico-religious elements to impose a disgraceful armistice on the armed forces of the country. ''These elements were in fact seeking religious and moral victory for the Taliban rebels,'' he contended.

He also argued in his petition that armed forces could not engage themselves in any political activity individually and collectively. ''The peace talks with TTP are nothing but politics and seek a reversal of the state policy under the two previous political governments''.

The petitioner demanded that court should investigate how TTP suddenly thought of peace talks few days before elections and nominated three guarantors to bridge the credibility gap with the government and the armed forces. ''The TTP continues to resort to violence and tried its utmost to disrupt the elections through bloodshed,'' he added.

Before the 11 May general elections in Pakistan, the TTP had expressed a desire to hold peace talks with the new government. After winning the elections, PML-N chief Sharif has said he was not averse to holding talks with TTP.

However, some sections of the civil society and the people have criticized holding of parleys with TTP, saying that talks cannot be held with 'killers'.