On 8 May 2014, a daylight bomb attack in Pakistan’s tribal region, suspected to have been carried out by Taliban insurgents, killed nine Pakistani soldiers. Sameer Patil, associate national security fellow at Gateway House, analyses the impact of the bomb blast on peace talks between the Pakistani administration and the Tehreek-e-Taliban, a militant outfit also known as Pakistani Taliban.
Statement:
“Prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been urging the Pakistani political establishment to continue peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The bomb blast which occurred in Pakistan on 8 May 2014 killing nine Pakistani soldiers, suspected to have been planted by Taliban insurgents, will further complicate Nawaz Sharif’s initiative for peace talks.
As the attack targeted the army, Pakistan’s military and political administration are in a dilemma – if they do not react firmly, they risk being projected as soft on the TTP, but a military offensive will be unpopular with the local population. Nawaz Sharif’s administration was already under pressure after a U.S drone strike killed TTP Amir Hakeemullah Mehsud last year – the recent bomb blast has further intensified the situation. The incident has made it very difficult for Nawaz Sharif to convincingly drive the initiative for peace talks in the Pakistani administration.
The TTP has repeatedly targeted the Pakistani army and its facilities in the past. The new TTP chief, Mullah Fazlullah, is a known Islamic hardliner who has openly dismissed the peace talks earlier. However, the TTP also faces pressures from the 28 disparate groups that it contains – some are agreeable for peace talks, while other elements have been disruptive. This incident emphasises the differences that exist in the TTP.
Violence of this nature underscores the danger posed by home-bred terror groups in Pakistan, and might create divisions within the Pakistani army about lending support to such groups.”
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