These post don't really answer the questions on hand. Since you are a think tank and a pro PTI person why don't you tell us how will PTI do these talks and what will it achieve?
PTI in KPK (as the current elected provincial government) and the Tribal Jirga system are an interface between the Pakistani state and the public. The state needs a way to enforce its writ upon the public that will endure, be respected, be accepted as legitimate, especially when it doesn’t clash with local culture.
What is clear is the TTP (and their supporters) are beyond the pale, and need to be expelled at the very least. Trust with the state needs to be rebuilt to keep intel channels open and the jirga system needs to be strengthened to enforce societal pressure on locals to not allow the miscreants from getting any footholds back on our side of the border.
Talks would be about concessions to our own Jirgas and tribes to hold the line and how they can get the Afghans to not let the TTP into Pakistan. Concessions on trade and easier movement of vetted persons would be the kind of concessions that would probably be on the table. Human scale terms that only locals that feel loyal to the state can sift the wheat from the chaff.
Without a very good HUMINT on the ground, these militants could be moving freely and be hard to detect. HUMINT at that scale will depend on close political cooperation between local (jirgas), provincial and federal.
LEA are there to back up this plan; to give just the right amount of stick (such as the strike that precisely took out this miscreant, and his minions and ammo dumps, without harming civilians), while politicians are there to give the right amount of carrots, PTI gives the perception in KPK, to give just the right amount of carrots and try to keep the use of the stick to what is absolutely necessary. Hence a suggestion that a plan be allowed to be formulated between IK/PTI and Gen. Retired Tariq Khan, and war gamed to see what resources would be needed to achieve these goals of pacification and what could be realistically achieved, should seriously be considered.
We have to look at political figures we have and how best they can play a role in achieving national interests. Internal reconciliation as well as a mechanism for a long term cultural shift in the Afghans (via our own local Pashtun population pushing back and setting new norms) is a necessity, especially for as long as we have these personalities with such cache.
out idara messed with the wrong person tbis time!
