ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said the government could give an amnesty to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members who surrender and pledge to adhere to the Pakistani Constitution.
President of Pakistan, however, stated that amnesty will only be offered to those TTP men who are not involved in criminal activities. He stated this in DawnNews programme ‘Khabar Se Khabar‘ aired on Friday.
In the context of the Afghan Taliban’s assurance that they would not allow Afghan land to be used for terrorism against Pakistan, host Nadia Mirza asked the president whether the TTP was no longer a threat for Pakistan.
“TTP remains a threat,” President Alvi responded.
He said that this concern had been conveyed to leadership of the Afghan Taliban and they (Taliban) will make it sure that they (TTP members) may live in Afghanistan but they must not do any activity against Pakistan.
Moreover, he said, the Pakistani government stated that it would “consider whether an amnesty should be given or not” to the TTP members who laid down their weapons and accepted the Constitution of Pakistan.
At this, Mirza interjected and asked the president: “General amnesty?” to which Alvi replied: “Yes, Pakistan will think about it for the people who lay down their weapons.”
“Does that mean there will be a pardon for people like Maulvi Fazlullah?” Mirza asked, referring to the ruthless former TTP chief who was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2018.
“I am not taking anyone’s name,” Alvi responded. “I am talking about the people who, before anything, have not remained involved in criminal activities. The government could consider making a declaration of amnesty [for the people] who forgo their TTP ideology and want to come with the intention of adhering to the Pakistani Constitution.”
Such an amnesty could be one of the ways to “establish peace”, the president said.
“It can’t happen that we fully disown many thousand Pakistanis who are abroad,” he added. “So one way or the other will have to be adopted.”
For years, the TTP unleashed deadly attacks on urban centres across Pakistan from their bases along the Afghan border, where they provided shelter to an array of global jihadist groups including Al Qaeda.
But a massive military offensive launched in 2014 largely destroyed the group’s command and control structure, dramatically reducing insurgent violence throughout Pakistan.
Sporadic attacks targeting security forces, however, continue. Just last Sunday, the TTP claimed responsibility for a suicide attack near a Frontier Corps (FC) check post in Quetta in which four paramilitary personnel were martyred and 21 others injured.
During the interview, President Alvi also said it would be a “bonanza” for Pakistan if peace was established in Afghanistan because of the immense development opportunities in the war-ravaged country.
He also said the Afghan Taliban’s reported desire for their country to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and other development projects could be “definitely considered” because it would benefit the entire region.
Regarding the new administration in Afghanistan, Alvi said the Taliban should follow the examples of ‘Sulah Hudaibiya’ and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela to grant amnesty to rivals and bring all stakeholders to the negotiating table.
He noted that the Taliban had made it clear that “India would no longer be allowed to use the Afghan land”, adding that this would bring an end to the ease with which New Delhi used to conduct anti-Pakistani activities through the border.
