Current Affairs
Operation Zarb-e-Azb
Operation Zarb-e-Azb is a joint military offensive being conducted by Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundallah, al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Haqqani network.The operation was launched by thePakistan Armed Forces on 15 June 2014 in North Waziristan (part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areasalong the Afghan border) as a renewed effort against militancy in the wake of the 8 June attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for which the TTP and the IMU claimed responsibility. Part of the ongoing war in North-West Pakistan, up to 30,000 Pakistani soldiers are involved in Zarb-e-Azb, described as a "comprehensive operation" to flush out all foreign and local militants hiding in North Waziristan.
The operation has received widespread support from the Pakistani political, defence and civilian sectors. The two largest Islamic clerical groups (the All Pakistan Ulema Council and the Council of Islamic Ideology) declared afatwa endorsing the offensive, calling it a jihad against terrorism.
Peace negotiations
Peace negotiations with the Taliban were announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after his election, although previous attempts to engage the Taliban in dialogue had failed. The first session of talks, between committees appointed by the Government of Pakistan and the Taliban, was held on 26 March 2014 at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. The Taliban did not name representatives from their ranks, instead nominating pro-Taliban religious figures to present their views. The movement called for the implementation ofSharia in Pakistan; the Pakistani government demanded the cessation of hostilities, insisting that talks be held within the framework of the Constitution of Pakistan. A month-long ceasefire was reached between the government and the Taliban on 1 March 2014.
In addition to the meetings at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, negotiations involved helicopter travel by government representatives to the area near the Afghan border. The government had indicated that stronger military action would be implemented if the talks failed.
Failure
Negotiations collapsed after the execution of 23 Pakistani Frontier Corps soldiers by the Taliban on 17 February 2014. The soldiers had been held by the insurgents since 2010, and on 17 April 2014 the TTP formally ended the ceasefire. More than 90 militants have been killed by Taliban infighting since March 2014. The strife, triggered by differences between the Mehsud group (led by SheheryarMehsud) and another TTP faction (led by Khan Said Sajna), impeded the peace talks. The negotiations were irreversibly damaged by a terrorist attack on Karachi Airport for which the Taliban claimed responsibility and which killed 28 people (including security personnel). A Pakistani security official said, "The army is ready for an operation. It now all depends on the government to make a decision.