PESHAWAR: Despite the failure of multiple peace agreements over the past two decades, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) continues to advocate negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that no military operation would be allowed in the province, insisting that the use of force has never been a solution to the problem.
He stated that peace cannot be achieved through decisions taken behind closed doors, adding that local jirgas had also rejected the option of a military operation. “Although preparations for an operation are underway, no individual or institution can impose its decision on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through coercion,” he said.
Pakistan has previously entered into several peace agreements with the TTP and affiliated militant groups, but none succeeded in establishing lasting peace. Following the collapse of these agreements, the state was forced to launch large-scale military operations in various regions.
In the past, Pakistani authorities signed agreements with several militant leaders, including Nek Muhammad, Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Sufi Muhammad, Maulana Fazlullah, Faqir Muhammad, and Mangal Bagh. However, these agreements generally lasted only a few months.
The first such peace deal was signed in April 2004 in the Shakai area of South Waziristan with militant commander Nek Muhammad Wazir. The agreement followed a military operation launched in March 2004 aimed at pressuring Nek Muhammad to sever ties with foreign militants.
Under the terms of that agreement, the government released prisoners and compensated for property damage, while Nek Muhammad pledged to register foreign fighters and prevent cross-border attacks.
Despite these assurances, the agreement soon collapsed, setting a pattern repeated in subsequent negotiations.
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