The banned Pakistani militant group, the Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has demanded the rollback of the FATA reforms, “independent status” for northwestern tribal areas, and dismantling of what it says is the “western system and culture” from the region. The demands came after the group’s leaders met with a delegation of Pakistani tribal elders in Kabul as part of the reported peace talks. 

On Wednesday, a delegation of tribal elders from Pakistan reached Kabul as peace talks between the Pakistan government and TTP gathered momentum, in an attempt to end the over-a-decade-long violent conflict in the northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The talks, mediated by the Afghan Taliban in Kabul, have been going on for weeks between the senior Pakistani military officials and the TTP leaders and significant progress has been made, according to reports in the Pakistan media.

Although no official announcement was made, the two sides have reportedly agreed to extend the ceasefire indefinitely while committees of the two sides along with local tribal elders from the Pakistan side would continue to discuss terms.

Despite progress, sticky points remain before they could strike a final deal. The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, is demanding wide-ranging concessions, including the withdrawal of the Pakistani military from the erstwhile FATA region, now part of its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

The demerger of the FATA, which include South and North Waziristan districts, from the KP province, the release of all TTP prisoners, and the implementation of the Islamic Sharia laws in the region are key demands— something that the government might struggle to agree to.

On the other hand, the Pakistan military is reportedly asking the TTP to dismantle their organization, disarm their fighters, and cease their war against the state.

Significantly, any peace deal with the TTP, a group responsible for the killings of over ten thousand Pakistani nationals, would require approval from the Pakistani parliament. These demands would also effectively mean undermining the state's existing authority and constitution in the tribal region.

In an apparent criticism of peace talks by bypassing parliament, Mohsin Dawar, a Pakistani lawmaker from North Waziristan district, tweeted, “Ex-FATA is being handed over to [the Pakistan] Taliban. Their fighters are regrouping; traders are being extorted and killings have increased. Their convicted commanders [will] get a Presidential pardon.”
 

The talks come after months of intensified attacks by the TTP, which shares ideological and fraternal ties with the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistan government had earlier alleged that militants were using Afghan soil as a sanctuary to plan and mount attacks on the Pakistan security forces.
(SAM)