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For KP's new governor, talks with Pakistani Taliban 'top priority'
 [Dawn] With peace talks with the Pak Taliban on the agenda, newly-appointed Khyber Pakthunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan does not plan to shy away from the traditional tribal jirga system as a platform for dialogue.The media's focus on him is not without reason -- Khan is the first civilian from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to be appointed governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... in Pakistain's restive northwest. Listing peace as his top priority, Khan is in favour of talks with the Taliban even if they are unwilling to lay down their arms, citing tribal customs. "I believe the grinding of the peace processor is heading in a successful direction. I would be willing to take on any task to hold peace talks with the cut-thoats," he said. "Peace is our priority and we shall go for it." At the age of 42, Khan, who hails from an influential family of Nawagai in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central  ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth..., is the youngest among his predecessors to have governed the region, hit badly by militancy and unrest. The engineer, with a political background, is well accustomed to politics in Pakistain's tribal areas. A graduate of the University of Engineering and Technology in Taxila, Khan first contested and lost the NA-43 Bajaur Agency seat in the 2002 elections. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... he won the same seat in the 2008 elections as an independent, and was made Federal Minister for Sports. He was later nominated Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions. His family's political legacy is also impressive: his father, Bismillah Khan, had twice won the NA seat from Bajaur Agency, while his elder brother, Hidayatullah Khan, is a senator. Now, with dialogue between the government and the Taliban becoming a greater possibility, the governor's appointment is considered the key to success. Unconditional talks The governor believes that the traditional tribal jirga, which equally allows for negotiations with or without guns, is the best way to resolve the longstanding conflict between Islamic fascisti and the Pak government and military. "If we go by tribal bylaws of resolving conflict, we should be holding peace talks whether one does or does not lay down arms. There is no bar on it," he said. "I believe first we have to kick start the process. Then we shall discuss the conditions, as in the tribal way to resolving disputes, you may not start with pre-conditions or guarantees," he explains. "When you start talking, then you enter the next phase of guarantees." Posted by: Fred 2013-02-17 |
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