As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur faces heat over option of military operation in Bajaur, can he again go against Imran Khan’s direction?
Bajaur Amn Jirga is meeting him in Peshawar today. The Jirga has already held seven rounds of talks with the government/security forces and TTP militants. The talks have so far failed to bear any fruit but are still ongoing, according to reports.
The Jirga says it still has not lost hopes for peace. According to report, KP CM and security officials promised the continuation of operation against terrorists “at all costs”. However, they called for efforts to minimise collateral damage. For this, a proposal is being discussed for civilians to vacate the area for couple of days. But locals are reluctant to leave their homes as past examples of displacement did not end well.
With population of over 1.2 million people, Bajaur is a district in Malakand division of Pakistan’s KP province. The militants of banned Deobandi Jihadi outfit (TTP), as per reports, operate in the area and involve in attacks on security forces and civilians. In case the operation starts, the lives of civilians will be at grave risk, locals warns.
TTP stands for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan also referred to as the Pakistani Taliban. The government, the US, the UN and several other countries have declared it a terrorist organisation.
Talks:
Led by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sahibzada Haroon ur Rashid , the 50-member Jirga concluded seven rounds of talks with TTP on Friday. But, the deadlock persists. However, a ceasefire has already been agreed upon between security forces and TTP until the talks conclude.
Some claim, the TTP militants are unwilling to leave the area, leaving security forces no choice but to conduct operation. Reports also Jirga is trying to convince militants to vacate civilian area, go to Afghanistan or retreat to mountains if they wanted to fight against Pakistan’s security forces. Some also claim TTP is demanding Shariah Law in the area. Interestingly, the Jirga has never revealed the detail of talks to media.
Imran Khan-Gandapur:
PTI founder Imran Khan has already ordered Gandapur to not allow any military operation in KP. Imran’s sister, after meeting with former PM in Adiala Jail, also cleared it that his brother seek “Jirga solution” to KP unrest problem. But, some say, KP CM is too weak to stand against the country’s powerful military establishment, the proponent of operation in Bajaur. And hence, the situation put him in hot water. Question arises: will he go against his party’s supremo’s directions as he did at the occasion of KP budget passage this time again?
Interestingly, Jirga leader Sahibzada Haroon’s party, Jamaat-e-Islami, is also against military operations in KP.
