Operation can be launched on ceasefire violation: Kh Asif

ISLAMABAD: A full-scale military operation against the Pakistani Taliban in the tribal areas near the Afghan border can be launched as early as this month in case of violation of ceasefire by the insurgents, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said. The minister told Reuters in an interview that the government would not hesitate to bomb militants hideouts or send forces into the tribal areas if the Taliban did not abide by the ceasefire announced last weekend. “It will not take months now. We’ll have to march in the month of March,” Khawaja Asif said, describing the government’s response if insurgent attacks continued. “If there is a ceasefire, it has to be complete. Without that, we just can’t afford to have talks with the Taliban.” In February, the government launched talks with the Taliban to find a negotiated settlement. But hopes of a peace deal have been crushed by a series of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides. “We won’t just take this lying down,” the minister said. “If we are attacked, the state is attacked, civilians are attacked, military personel are attacked, we will retaliate. We will retaliate in kind.” For a government long considered soft for pursuing peace talks, Khawaja Asif said there were now very few takers for the argument that the Taliban are truly committed to dialogue. “The Taliban have not even condemned this so-called splinter group four days after the (Islamabad courts) attack. They are saying, ‘We have not violated a ceasefire, these are peripheral groups, they are not under our control,’” he said. “But we cannot believe this.” When asked about reports that talks may be re-launched, this time with the military in the driving seat, he said: “The army’s input is very valuable. They are the people on the frontlines. They have to execute our decisions.” Khawaja Asif said if in the post-withdrawal period, the Afghan Taliban become stronger and carve out an area of influence in the south and east of Afghanistan, which is next to Pakistan’s border — that’s a scenario Pakistan should even avoid thinking of. “Because then the Pakistani Taliban will have a powerhouse behind them, to support them. This option is there and everyone should try to avoid it.” For sceptics, there is another scenario Pakistan wants to avoid at all costs: an unfriendly Afghanistan backed by India. Khawaja Asif said Pakistan, and particularly its army, had evolved. “We have evidence that India is meddling in Afghanistan, no doubt,” he said. “But I’m a believer that if the conditions in the four walls of your own house are stable, nobody from outside will try to enter. We give India the opportunity.” — Reuters AFP adds: Khawaja Asif told Geo News that the government was committed to bringing peace through dialogue with the Taliban but warned a military operation could be launched if the talks failed. The minister said dialogue remained the government’s preferred option. “Talks are top priority even today to bring peace in the country,” he said.“But if there is no advancement in talks and they fail to fulfil the objective, we can go for a military operation,” he said, adding: “We want to give space to the dialogue process. Our aim is peace and not the bloodshed.” He said if the militants prolonged the talks and the (militant) activities continued alongside, the government will have no other option.