Geo News holds debate over peace talks with Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s major political parties and security analysts on Wednesday agreed that the nation should be united on launching a military campaign against the Taliban if proposed talks with the militant outfit failed.

These views were expressed during a three-hour special transmission on terrorism held on Geo News hosted by senior journalist Hamid Mir.

The participants agreed that the Islamabad had used private Jihad as a key point of its foreign policy, which unleashed religious terrorism inside Pakistan.

Although, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Muhammad Jamal Din supported the state’s idea of adopting any policy, which could safeguard its interests, he conceded that the use of private mercenaries didn't benefit Pakistan.

Analyst Mehmood Shah claimed that the use of those outfits by former military General Ziaul Haq initially benefited Pakistan. However, political parties were of the view that the Pakistani nation suffered more than the Taliban.

ANP leader Shahi Syed said that the Taliban lost their faith in their fight. The participants belonging to political parties said that state, which saw strategic depth in Afghanistan was equally responsible for the loss of 50,000 lives and 100 billion dollars.

They said that al-Qaeda was also involved in carrying out terror attacks in Pakistan and the country should not hold talks with the organization, as it was a foreign outfit.

They said that Pakistan’s armed forces were fully capable of achieving victory over the Taliban.

The participants were divided over the question whether Pakistan accept Taliban’s condition of ceasefire first, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supported the idea but other parties including MQM and ANP opposed it.