TTP Rejects Qureshi’s Amnesty Offer

According to Pakistani media, heavy fighting has been ongoing between the Pakistani army and the TTP in several parts of North and Southern parts of the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), for the last two weeks, reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has rejected Pakistan governments offer of amnesty saying that its struggle will continue until they establish Sharia. TTP also asked the Pakistani security forces to ask for forgiveness.

“As for forgiveness, forgiveness is sought for mistakes, we’re proud of our struggle, we have never apologized to our enemies. We believe in meaningful dialogue if it ensures implementation of Shariah in Pakistan,” says the one of the most dreaded terror groups of Pakistan, if not the world, in a statement.

It was reported earlier that Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had offered that it would be “open to giving” a pardon to members of the banned TTP if it renounces violence, accepts the writ of the state and commits to the constitution.

“If they ((TTP)are willing to mend fences and not take the law into their hands and not get involved in terrorist activities and they submit and surrender to the writ of the government and the Constitution of Pakistan, we are even open to giving them a pardon,” Qureshi told to the state-run APP wire service.

According to Pakistani media, the heavy fighting has been ongoing between the Pakistani army and the TTP in several parts of North and Southern parts of the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), for the last two weeks. Because of the TTP threat , the New Zealand cricket team backed out of the tour and decided to leave Pakistan.

There are hundreds of suicide bombers who have joined the group as a reinforcement and they have been targeting posts and convoys of the Pakistani forces. According to the Pakistani army, a gun battle has left seven soldiers and five militants dead in Pakistan’s restive north-western tribal areas, bordering Afghanistan in the last 24 hours. But the militant group had said that they have attacked at five places killing 12 security personnel. Recently, the outfit has issued a stern warning to the Pakistani media, asking it to refrain from calling it a terrorist organization.

“We call on Pakistani media journalists and media houses to stop their prejudice in the ongoing war between TTP and Pakistani security forces,” read a letter issued by the group.

We have confirmed that titles such as “terrorists” and “extremists” are used in our names. This shows the intentional prejudice of the media. TTP is warned and instructed to refer only as TTP and not in titles such as those we provide,” the group said in a statement.

Since the capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban or Afghan Taliban, Pakistan has been witnessing a new surge of terror attacks on its security forces. The TTP has been experiencing a reversal of fortunes in the past after “big brother” Afghan Taliban released over 4000 terrorists belonging to the TTP from Afghan jails after taking over the country.

Now all these militants have joined the TTP’s fight against the Pakistani army. And since then, Pakistan’s military establishment is worried, and this is reflected in the statements of the Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ministers who are under tremendous pressure from their “iron brother” China after the increasing attacks by the TTP and its allies on CPEC projects and its Chinese workers.

Pakistani rulers have asked the Taliban to rein in the group but they were told that the TTP is not Taliban’s problem and asked Pakistani rulers to sort it out themselves.

Pledging allegiance to the Afghan Taliban, TTP’s leaders have threatened Pakistan and vowed to establish a Khulafat system and Sharia in Pakistan.

TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud has said that his organisation doesn’t need Afghanistan’s soil to protect itself from Pakistan Army’s attacks. “We are still fighting with the Pakistan Army from our own soil. We are hoping to take control of the tribal region and make it an independent area,” Mehsud said in a recent interview, making it clear that the ultimate goal of the TTP is to establish Greater Afghanistan, which includes tribal areas of Pakistan as well.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ – Tajikistan lone Afghan neighbour taking tough stand against Taliban