Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - IV

Taliban as ‘new bargainers’ in Pakistan. 

The Taliban in Pakistan have emerged as strategic bargainers since the democratic government has assumed office in the country. The democratic government’s compelling desire for stability as hallmark of its success has been exploited by the Taliban to the fullest. For now, the Taliban in Pakistan have bargained to exist and flourish in peace while the Government has bargained for a formal recognition of its scarcely acknowledged authority. The Taliban phenomenon is not new for Pakistan, what’s new is their ability and strategy to bargain with the Government authorities.     

The Zardari Government has been engaged in making peace deals since it came to power last year; seven such agreements have been negotiated since February 2008. Interestingly in some cases the government claims to make the deals with tribal elders and not militants adding to the list of power contenders in Pakistan’s unsettled political system. Some of the important peace agreements made by the Government in the past year include the following:

• February 2008: Wazir and Daur tribes of North Waziristan signed an agreement with the local administration against ‘extremism’ and ‘terrorism’.
• April 2008, Sufi Mohammad, leader of Tehrik Nifaz-e-Sharia Mohammed was released from prison as part of a deal to make peace with the Taliban elements in the Swat Valley.
• May 2008: NWFP Government and the local Taliban sign a 15-point peace agreement pledging to eliminate the militant training camps from the area.  
• May 2008: The Government initiated peace talks with militants in the Dara Adamkhel town of the Kohat district in NWFP.
• July 2008: Government officials from the Khyber district administration signed an agreement with tribal jirga asserting that the religious groups in the region would accept the writ of the government.
• July 2008: The Government and tribal leaders in the Dabori area of the Orakzai Agency signed an agreement under which no militants would be allowed to take shelter in the area.
• July 2008: The Hangu Ceasefire Accord signed between the Taliban and Kohat authorities allowed the former to remain in the region on the condition that they would not meddle with the affairs of the government.
• February 2009 the provincial authorities in NWFP signed the controversial Malakand Accord, under which peace was made with Taliban militants of region in exchange of imposition of Sharia or traditional Islamic law.
• March 2009 Pakistani authorities signed another deal with Taliban militants in the Bajur region. In line with similar deals in the past, the militants have pledged not to attack government and security officials in the area.

The timing and terms of most of these deals highlights the absolute advantage enjoyed by the Taliban elements. The Pakistani authorities continue to release scores of Taliban in a variety of exchange offers increasing the chances that in future mainstream politics in Pakistan will be dominated by these extremist elements. Surprisingly the government makes a peace deal even after claiming that they have defeated the Taliban forces in the certain areas. This implies that the Pakistani authorities do not have a bargaining leverage even after defeating the extremist forces raising serious doubts about the efficacy of the official writ in the country.  

Given the dominance of religion in socio-political affairs the line between the extremists and mainstream politicians is highly blurred in Pakistan. For instance, Baluchistan’s Minister for Public Health Maulana Abdul Bari hails the Taliban militants who die in suicide missions as martyrs. In certain cases the Government seeks to achieve short term political objectives by aligning with the extremist elements. The Pakistani Government has ignored the growing entrenchment of Taliban elements in the Quetta region as a counter to the influence of Baluch nationalists. The Taliban militants have captured land worth Rs. 2 billion in various regions of Quetta with official knowledge.

The Taliban are fast expanding their role in the urban centers of Pakistan. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has come to establish a strong network in Karachi and Peshawar’s security system is collapsing under the threat from militant attacks. The violence and religious extremism of the Taliban has for long been a challenge for Pakistan, but the current wave of ‘peace deals’ is according recognition to the demands and tactics of the militant forces. The Pakistani authorities have to realize that such ill-conceived deals will contribute towards radicalizing the mainstream rather than making it inclusive.

[Picture Courtesy: BBC; February 24, 2009]