Provincial government in northwest ‘requests’ Pakistan Taliban to call back fighters from Swat Valley

ISLAMABAD: The official spokesperson of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial administration on Wednesday “publicly requested” a proscribed militant faction to recall its armed fighters from the scenic Swat valley in the northwest of the country which has seen growing militant presence in recent weeks. 
Swat witnessed an upsurge in extremist violence more than a decade ago after it was taken over by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which decided to establish its own brand of religious rule in the area.  Pakistan’s security forces launched a military operation to reclaim the district and its adjoining region in 2009, though senior TTP leaders melted away and later found refuge in neighboring Afghanistan. 
Media reports indicate militants have once again returned to Swat where thousands of residents recently protested after unidentified gunmen targeted a school van and killed the driver. 
Addressing a gathering at the Swat Press Club, the provincial administration’s spokesperson, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, assured the residents of the district that the days of violence and militancy would not return in the district “for the rest of our lives.” 
“I publicly request Taliban leaders in my personal capacity to recall those people who are working for them and are present in Swat – or any other part of Pakistan – and are armed and spreading fear [among people],” he said. 
“Give us a chance,” he continued. “We came to you [in Afghanistan] to discuss peace … We still want peace.” 
Saif said he wanted to find an “honorable solution to this conflict which has been going on in Pakistan for the last 20 years.” 
He added when the Pakistani government negotiated with the TTP leaders in Afghanistan, it told them that they would have to abide by the constitution on their return to the country.
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan told the media last year his administration was negotiating with the TTP since he was not in favor of military solution to conflicts. 
Khan’s government said it was also willing to offer amnesty to TTP militants if the laid down arms, abandoned their extremist ideology and adhered to the constitution. 
The negotiations between the two sides continued even after Khan was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April. 
However, Pakistan’s new defense minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif revealed last week the talks had remained inconclusive. 
He also maintained that another military operation in Swat was “not on the cards.”