Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PAKISTAN: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi indicated that if the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) denounces violence and abides by the constitution, amnesty could be considered for its members.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi was speaking to the media and signalled that an amnesty is being considered for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, one of the nation’s most feared militant groups, should members of the outfit mend their ways.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that if TTP members renounce violence and respect the nation’s Constitution, they could think of pardon for them. “We are even open to giving them a pardon”, said Qureshi.
The minister’s comments are apparently linked to reports that TTP members had been set free from Afghan prisons after the Taliban takeover of Kabul a few weeks ago, and that the militants may be headed to Pakistan.
Similarly, a few days earlier, the President of Pakistan, doctor Arif Alvi, had also made similar comments, telling Dawn News that TTP members not involved in “criminal activities” could be forgiven.
These suggestions came from the high-ups and raised questions in society, where different walks of life gave their comments.
Pakistani educated and social class people said If the government is seriously considering an amnesty, then there are some basic facts that should be kept in mind.
They said an amnesty should be for some individuals in the ranks of TTP, not the entire outfit. They said that a general amnesty is a dangerous idea.
Citizens predicted that low-ranking cadres who may have been ‘misguided’ and agreed to lay down their arms and live according to the law of the land can be considered for an amnesty.
They said the low-ranking militants would need to be deradicalized and taught skills so that they can contribute to society. It further suggested that these individuals, if granted pardon, should have to be watched by the state, for there are examples from foreign countries’ deradicalization programmes that indicate some ‘rehabilitated’ extremists often relapse into violence.
In response to a question, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said those who respect the law of the land and follow the constitution of Pakistan could be treated with justice. He added that the Prime Minister always stressed table talks between the US and the Afghan Taliban, and after twenty years, both sides resolved their issues through a peace accord in Afghanistan, which they welcomed.
