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Islamabad: A key constituent of the ruling coalition yesterday asked the government to stop military action in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Condemning the continued action, Asfandyar Wali, the president of the Awami National Party (ANP), demanded that the government stop the operations immediately.
"I am not in favour of military operations and indiscriminate bombing of innocent people," Wali told Gulf News.
"Priority should be given to negotiations with militant groups on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to seek a peaceful solution to the issue," Wali, whose Awami National Party (ANP) heads the North West Frontier Province, said in an interview at the Parliament Lodges - the official residence of parliamentarians in the federal capital Islamabad.
His party's government in NWFP is already engaged militants in Swat in negotiations but so far the progress has been disappointing.
He said political stability in Islamabad - where the ruling coalition suffered a setback following the exit of the Pakistan Muslim League-N of Nawaz Sharif - is necessary to resolve the issue of militancy.
"A strong coalition is essential for stability in the country," he added.
Gulf News: What is the real issue of militancy?
Asfandyar Wali: Militancy has been brewing in the country for the last 30 years and has grown like a monster that was the brain child of by our own establishment and the US. But they disowned it after the 9/11 attacks in US but it has grown too big to be eliminated with military operation because it has the resources.
What is the solution to this issue?
It cannot be rooted out until and unless political, religious and military forces sit together and come up with a joint strategy. And this should be done jointly both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Jirga (tribal councils comprising influential elders) should be formed to negotiate with militants both in Afghanistan and Pakistan because they hold more power than the governments. There will no peace in Afghanistan until there is peace in Pakistan and vice versa. You cannot tackle the issue only on one side. Jirga system is more effective because both the parties have to listen to jirga and once agreed they cannot back out of the deal because the violator will find it difficult to survive because of tribal pressure.
What role can US play in this?
US cannot play any role. They will have to push for negotiations through jirgas and will have to listen to their decision if they want to resolve this issue.
Who are militants?
There are three types of groups involved in the militancy. One group comprised of foreigners who are about 4,000 to 4,500. They are Tajiks, Uzbeks and Arabs. The second type of militants are Afghan Taliban, who also include Afghan refugees and the third one are local Taliban who have joined the forces because of economic hardships and feeling of deprivation.
Why should the military operation be stopped?
Military operation is just like a pain killer which cannot cure the "disease" which should be "diagnosed" through negotiations for full cure.
What are the issues in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA)?
The problem is that even after 61 years of Pakistan's independence, they are still suffering in isolation. There are no political parties. There is not even a single university or occupational training institute. The literacy rate among the girls is just .7 per cent, the draconian laws and no economic activity.
[There are seven agencies - Bajaur, Mahmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Qurram, North Wazirastan and South Wazirastan - in FATA with a total population of about 3.5 million along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.]
The feeling of deprivation is increasing among the population and this is leading to more Talibanism. They want pens not the guns and our children want books and not the suicide jackets.
Profile: Asfandyar Wali
Glorious lineage
Asfandyar Wali is the president of the Awami National Party (ANP) - a liberal face of otherwise conservative Pashtun community in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
His party defeated the hardliner Islamist groups in the last general elections and formed the government in the NWFP. They are also coalition partners in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led federal government in Pakistan.
Wali is the son of the late Pashtun leader Khan Ghaffar Khan commonly known as Bacha Khan. An astute politician, he has been an elected senator since 2003. Previously, he served in the NWFP provincial assembly (1990) and two national assemblies of Pakistan in 1993 and 1997.
He holds an MBA and was a political activist associated with the Pakhtun Student Federation during his college days. His home, Wali Bagh in Charsadda, was an ideal nursery for political training since this has been the headquarters of Pashtun nationalist forces.
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