[DAWN] In certain national security circles, the renunciation of violence inside Pakistain by the leader of the TTP Punjab aka the Punjabi Taliban, Asmatullah Muawiya, will be greeted with satisfaction, even glee.Luring the Punjabi Taliban back towards the mainstream of society and politics has been a long-term goal of a section of the Pak security establishment; the thinking being that the former allies of the security establishment are merely misguided and can be persuaded to lay down their arms and lead peaceful existences again.
From here, it would hardly be a surprise to see Muawiya being propped up for a political role, the route of former jihadis into politics being a well-trodden one now, including the likes of Fazlur Rehman Khalil, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
