The Pakistan-Taliban peace talks

Representatives of the government and those of the Taliban met and set the parameters for the talks. They agreed among other things not to threaten the peace and security of the country; the negotiations must be in accordance with the Pakistani constitution; the talks be only concerned with areas affected by violence and not the […]

Representatives of the government and those of the Taliban met and set the parameters for the talks. They agreed among other things not to threaten the peace and security of the country; the negotiations must be in accordance with the Pakistani constitution; the talks be only concerned with areas affected by violence and not the entire country; negotiations not be protracted.
The conflict with the Taliban has led to the death of thousands of people, civilians and soldiers alike, and has been a continuing threat to peace and stability of the country and the sub region.
In recent years, the Taliban have become more daring in their operations, attacking the headquarters of the Pakistan army in Rawalpindi and killing many of soldiers, fuelling speculation that the group may have sympathizers within the security forces.
The troubled Waziristan in the North West frontier province that borders Afghanistan has been the group’s stronghold, drawing frequent US drone attacks that infuriate many Pakistanis and fuel cycles of violence.
Negotiating with the Taliban to end the bloodshed is therefore overdue. But it is also fraught with many challenges. Some Pakistanis are opposed to talks with those they consider have blood on their hands in the deaths of civilians and members of the security agencies. Moreover, the Taliban have different factions; there is some doubts whether those representing the main group have its mandate. More importantly, it is also not clear whether the Taliban would settle for anything less than their declared aim of imposing strict Sharia in the country.
Earlier attempts at brokering a peace deal had been scuttled by violent attacks and by strong US pressure on the government.  Last November, just as fresh talks were about to begin, a US drone strike killed a senior Taliban commander, Hakimullah Mehsud. The Pakistan interior minister said that it was a ‘’conspiracy to sabotage the peace talks.’’ This time around the Obama administration has reportedly offered to suspend drone strikes in order to give peace a chance. It remains to be seen whether the gesture would be enough to assure Taliban representatives of their safety.
Not only have US drone strikes long been a sore point in US-Pakistan relations, they’ve also been a major grievance of the Taliban because they are the main targets.
In his re-election campaign last year, Nawaz Sharif said he would put an end to the drone strikes. So far, he appears to have made little progress in persuading the US to agree. The prominent opposition politician, Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party, has been in the forefront of the opposition to drone attacks.
 Aside from the killing of thousands of innocent Pakistanis in such strikes as a result of the so-called collateral damage, they also strike at Pakistan’s sovereignty. Indeed there is some acknowledgement among US officials that drone strikes are a ‘recruiting sergeant’ for the Taliban, given the deep resentment of Pakistanis against them.
The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is intertwined with that of Pakistan. With the porous border between them and the mountainous nature of the terrain, Taliban insurgents on both sides cross the border with ease.  
With the US drawing down its troops from Afghanistan in preparation for their eventual withdrawal, all sides are jostling for position to fill the void. The negotiations with the Taliban are part of this movement. It is a process that should be encouraged in order to wean both sides from violence and to enable peace to return to this troubled country-and the region- once again.