News
Sunday, March 23, 2008
New government to negotiate with militants
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Leaders of Pakistan’s incoming government have told the New York Times that they will negotiate with the militants believed to be orchestrating recent attacks such as suicide bombings, and use military force only as a last resort. According to the report filed from Islamabad by correspondent Jane Perlrez, “that talk has alarmed American officials, who fear it reflects a softening stance toward the militants just as President Pervez Musharraf has given the Bush administration a freer hand to strike at militants using pilotless Predator drones”. She writes that Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, interviewed separately, will try to “strike a more independent stance from Washington and repackage the conflict in a more palatable way for Pakistanis” who believe that the increase in suicide bombings is retaliation for the Predator attacks. Both said they are determined to set a different course from that of President Musharraf. Zardari said, “Obviously what they have been doing for the last eight years has not been working. Even a fool knows that.” However, neither Zardari nor Sharif was specific about which of the militant groups in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas they favoured talking to. Nor was it clear what kind of formula or quid pro quo the two political leaders had in mind for the talks. Sharif said that “guns and bullets” have so far produced no positive results. The report notes that as Pakistan’s new leaders fashion their strategy, they will unavoidably be dealing with programmes devised by Washington to help Pakistan regain control of the tribal areas. In some places, the approaches may yet dovetail, such as training and equipping the Frontier Corps. Both leaders said the new parliament would be consulted on the strategy towards the insurgency, “a sharp distinction from the go-it-alone behaviour of Mr Musharraf”.
Courtesy Daily Times