The federal government is changing its stance from a strictly military approach to a soft multi-pronged political approach to tackle growing militancy with a new policy linked to both shor-and long-term gains against militants, the NWFP governments peace envoy said on Friday.
The previous policy (of a purely military solution) has changed and a holistic approach has been adopted to make gains against militancy, Afrasiab Khattak, the peace envoy for the NWFP government, told Daily Times. The new policy is one which the political parties had discussed before coming into power and it ... includes negotiations (with militant groups), administrative and financial measures, Afrasiab added.
The ANP freed hardline cleric Maulana Sufi Muhammad from prison and inked a peace deal with pro-Taliban rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah to encourage calm and order in the militancy-plagued Swat district. However, the peace deals have raised tensions between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States, with the latter two saying that such steps can export militancy to Afghanistan through cross-border movement.
Cross-border movement: Both short and long-term measures will address cross-border movement (by militants), Afrasiab, who is also ANP NWFP president, said. A senior official with the government, requesting anonymity, said that the military approach had aggravated the situation. He said the problem could only be resolved through a solution that would bring the local population onboard.
Similarly, development and security expert Khalid Aziz said that militancy had grown because of a flawed Pakistan-United States security policy based on a military approach that failed to work towards winning the hearts and minds of the people. This approach has changed. The federal and NWFP governments have realised that the time has come to either engage the militants in peace negotiations or face a difficult governance situation, he told Daily Times.
A high-level meeting between NWFP Governor Owais Ghani and Prime Ministers Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik on Thursday also decided political agents in every tribal region would form jirgas. They decided that these would consist of elected members, ulema and high-ranking tribesmen. The meeting maintained that issues related to FATA would be resolved through peaceful means. The law abiders would be protected while the lawbreakers would be dealt with under the law of the land, a communiqué released after the meeting stated.
Former FATA security chief Brigadier (r) Mehmood Shah, when asked about the new policy, said: It cannot be only talks and it cannot be only use of force. There should be a mix of both to keep order in tribal and settled areas.
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ISLAMABAD - Top civil and military leaders decided in a meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari to continue fighting Al Qaeda and the Taleban militants and to hold dialogue only with those ready to lay down arms. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, NWFP Governor Owais Ghani, Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik and senior defence and interior officials attended the meeting at the Presidentss House.