EDITORIAL: Five soldiers, including a captain, embraced martyrdom and four militants were killed during an exchange of fire in Boya area of North Waziristan on Monday. That tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) which shares this country’s border with southeastern Afghanistan has been the scene of a string of such clashes during the last six months.

Such recurring incidents, despite a ceasefire agreement between the TTP and law enforcement agencies, have raised concerns that the TTP militants are regrouping in North Waziristan, their former base until ousted in military operations. Meanwhile, peace negotiations overseen by Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani are said to be on hold since the last delegation comprising tribal elders from Pakistan had a round of discussions with the TTP militants in Kabul towards the end of July.

A veil of secrecy surrounds those talks. Before that a group of religious leaders, led by a widely respected Islamic scholar, Mufti Taqi Usmani, had visited Kabul on a similar mission.

Whilst nothing is known as to what transpired in these and other rounds of talks, some recent developments suggest armed TTP militants have returned to Swat, Dir and parts of KP’s tribal districts.

A few days ago, people in Swat and Khyber district staged large demonstrations against the presence of militants in their areas who, they say, are involved in violence, targeted killings and extortion. Early last month, a PTI MPA from Dir was attacked; that attack left him seriously wounded and four others dead.

According to the police and security officials, it was the work of TTP militants on their way from Afghanistan to Swat because the MPA headed the Village Defence Committee in his district and supervised the surrender of some militants to the State. Shortly afterwards, a superintendent of police was held hostage along with three others in Matta sub-district. A jirga helped secure their release. Little surprise then if they are also targeting the security forces as they take action on the basis of intelligence information, like in the case of the latest incident.

In fact, TTP admitted as much when it said since last May’s ceasefire agreement it acts in ‘self-defence’ when attacked. Several press reports point out that TTP men plan and launch attacks on the security forces from Afghanistan. According to those familiar with the talks, the only agreement was about an indefinite ceasefire — which keeps getting violated — and continuation of negotiations to settle complex issues, including the return of the militants and their reintegration in society.

The above details clearly show the process of accommodating those violent extremists has already started, disrupting peace in Swat and tribal districts of KP. Next, they will try to enforce their bigoted social code in those areas. In any case, those responsible for acts of terrorism, such as the horrific carnage at the Army Public School in Peshawar, cannot be forgiven. Those uninvolved in violence may be allowed to return to their families. All others should be told to stay back with their hosts and ideological brothers in Afghanistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022