海角大神

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Peace talks between the government and the Pakistan Taliban began today聽after a false start earlier this week,聽as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif comes under increasing domestic pressure to deal decisively with the insurgents.

Members of the Pakistan Taliban (TPP), a loosely organized militant group that is affiliated with but distinct from the Taliban in聽Afghanistan, have been trying for years to topple the government in Islamabad and establish Islamic rule. Thousands of civilians have been killed since the group rose to prominence in 2007, reports the BBC, and the first month of 2014 saw an uptick in Taliban attacks across the country.

The talks, which were delayed on Tuesday because government negotiators failed to show up, follow a spate of attacks in January that killed scores of civilians and soldiers and intensified demands that Mr. Sharif stem the violence.

Sharif accepted the TPP鈥檚 offer to send representatives to discuss a 鈥渞oadmap鈥� for future peace talks聽after support began building for a military operation against the militants, leading to confusion about the government鈥檚 strategy, Michael Kugelman wrote in The Diplomat this week.

Political commentator Tariq Ali聽writes in The Guardian聽that the talks 鈥渕ay produce a temporary cease-fire, but not much more.鈥� He argues that the problem聽lies with Afghanistan 鈥� and Pakistan's determination not to allow Indian influence to build there after international troops withdraw at the end of the year.

Another weakness of the talks is that both sides may simply be stalling, the BBC reports. Representatives on both the government and Taliban negotiating teams 鈥渉ave no real power,鈥� they posit, and the talks are 鈥渏ust talks about talks.鈥� Past negotiating efforts failed.聽

The Economist (paywall) concurs, writing that the talks are merely a government effort to gain enough time to prepare a military offensive against the TPP.