ISLAMABAD: When Mufti Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi was killed, his followers and family members alleged that killers of Mufti Naeemi were sitting in Punjab government. He was a leading Sunni Islamic cleric from Pakistan who was well known for his moderate and anti-terrorist views. He was killed in a suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan on 12 June 2009, after publicly denouncing the Tehrik-i-Taliban’s actions and ideologies as un-justified and against the essence of Islam. Even the name of one of Punjab Minister came under allegation that he has direct links with Taliban. His followers further alleged that terrorism going on in Pakistan is a war of two mind-sets— followers of moderate Islam and Deoband school of thought that is called as purist Islamists group. Major actors of Afghan Jihad were all Deoband followers including Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and of course Mian Nawaz Sharif was a chief minister of this architect of Jihad—Gen Ziaul Haq. This was the main reason that former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif played a pivotal role to install a truce in Afghanistan as the then Prime Minister of Pakistan and all actors of Afghan civil war took oath to stop war under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif. However this truce did not work for long time.
Now Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has set two conditions to initiate negotiations with the government in a video message of TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan stating that TTP is ready for talks with the government of Pakistan if three top politicians, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, acted as guarantors for the negotiations. “We have no confidence in the army. To increase our confidence in the army, we want the three persons I named, (Jamaat-e-Islami chief) Munawar Hasan, (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader) Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, as guarantors,” TTP spokesman said.
Calling on the government to free three members of the Taliban’s political committee, Muslim Khan, Haji Umar and Maulana Mehmood, who had been captured by security forces, Ihsan said this was necessary so that the five-member political committee can participate in negotiations. TTP expressed no confidence in the army and claimed that Pakistan Army had violated agreements signed in the past between the army and the militants.
Now this video statement of TTP confirms again that “Lines are drawn” and there are two major components in political arena of Pakistan. One is component closer to Taliban and Taliban have faith on it while the other component is unacceptable for Taliban even to talk and negotiate and that component includes Pakistan Army, Pakistan People’s Party and its allied parties in government including MQM, ANP and other moderate groups. Amazingly the name of Imran Khan is not included in the list although he has been an open supporter of Taliban mind set. Now forthcoming elections can decided what Pakistan will be after elections?——Who steers Pakistan for next government?—–Pro Taliban factor or anti-Taliban factor?
