The agony of Mehsud tribe

The government has constituted a 300-member grand Mehsud Jirga, representing all three major sub-castes of the tribe, eg, Manzai, Behlolzai and Shaman Khel, to look into the post-operation "Rah-e-Najat" scenario in South Waziristan Agency.
The Jirga has been asked by the government to comply with three imperative conditions if Mehsud tribesmen are seeking safe return to their respective areas. First, it will have to hand over more than three hundreds top Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, belonging to Mehsud tribe, including its chief Hakimullah Mehsud. Next is to expel all the non-Mehsud elements from the area and finally to persuade the Mehsud IDPs to return to the area.
The Jirga has so far conducted numerous meetings at political compound Tank with both local political administration and representatives from law-enforcement agencies in order to come to an agreement. But so far nothing conclusive has been achieved.
Unfortunately, situation is South Waziristan is not good enough despite months' long massive military operation and the government's claim of triumphing over the militants. Clashes have been routinely taking place between the TTP-linked militants and Pakistan Army in the area. It has been announced twice by the highest government figures that the operation in the area has almost been accomplished. But ground situation narrates something quite different.
On March 16th, a leading national Daily while quoting a private news channel reported that in a high level meeting at the Presidency attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, COAS General Ashfaq Kayani said that the army had remained successful in achieving major targets in the region, therefore, it would end the operation in South Waziristan on March 30 and hand over control to the civil administration.
But still local sources confirm the presence of Taliban in pockets in the area targeting security forces. Why our military establishment fails to understand that in guerrilla war, gaining control of the territory has less strategic significance unless the insurgent supply line and safe sanctuaries are not neutralised.
In this scenario forcing Mehsud Jirga to meet the above mentioned conditions seems extremely irrational and unfeasible. So far not only Mehsud, but the entire tribal community of Fata has cordially welcomed the steps taken by the government for the eradication of insurgency and restoration of government's writ in the area.
They did what the government has so far asked for. They have sacrificed whatever they possess in past eight years of battle after battle between army and Taliban. Still there seems no end of it. The bloody Suicide attacks' campaign is in full swing across the country despite the government's persistent claims of triumphing over the insurgency.
In his recent statement, a spokesman for TTP, Tariq Azam, has blatantly warned the entire the Mehsud tribe not to fall prey to government trap of raising armed Lashkar against Taliban. If the government couldn't succeed to eliminate them-how they (Mehsuds) would be able to stand against them.
South Waziristan happens to be an ideal place in summer and almost all Mehsuds, even those who have been settled since decades in mega urban centres of the country, ie Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad etc, use to send their families in order to elude the scorching summer and long hours of loadshedding.
One can better understand the agony of the IDPs, who have been living in extreme dire conditions across the "newly named" Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa since past seven months. Unlike IDPs from Malakand division, who have been stupendously shifted to their homes just two months, Mehsud are despondent of any such happening in near future.
This is the responsibility of the state to establish its writ and provide serene and peaceful environment to its citizens at all costs. If mighty government apparatus could not triumph to defeat insurgency, then how the Mehsud tribe will be able to face hard-nosed Taliban.
Mehsud tribe has already lost over 200 elders in the past seven years at the hands of Taliban. Nearly all of them were killed due to their pro-government stance and the government has bitterly failed to provide them security and left them at militants' mercy after signing peace accords with them. Under these circumstances making further demands would be an attempt to alienate these people.