KARACHI: PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari has claimed that former army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa wanted to “resettle” members of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), following Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021.

Talking to Nadir Guramanai on DawnNewsTV, Ms Mazari categorically rejected the perception that the resettlement was the idea of former prime minister Imran Khan.

“During a meeting, Gen Bajwa raised the point to resettle the TTP families who were Pakistani nationals,” she said.

The ex-army chief said that if the militants accept the Constitution and lay down their arms, something should be done for their resettlement.

Claims ex-COAS wanted trade with India; blames Farogh Naseem for damaging PTI govt

She added that PTI’s elected representatives from tribal areas opposed the suggestion as they had concerns over the return of militants who had caused trouble to the locals in the past.

“In a meeting attended by cabinet ministers, and military leadership, it was decided to form a committee comprising elected representatives and military officials to build a consensus and then proceed with the dialogue,” Ms Mazari elaborated.

“Then our government ended and the committee was never made. We don’t know who held the talks and what became of it.”

Ms Mazari’s remarks contradicted the statement of former PM Khan who in an address earlier this month defended “his plan” to resettle the TTP fighters. He had said that after the takeover, some 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani tribal fighters wanted to come back and his government had two options: either kill them or reach an agreement to settle them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “These returning fighters had many issues that needed to be resolved for peace in the province,” Mr Khan had said.

The former minister asserted that the blame for failing to deal with the TTP would “fall not on us but the imported government”.

‘Don’t push us’

Ms Mazari, who held the portfolio of human rights in the previous PTI government, also blamed the former general for being “indifferent” to the sensitive nature of certain issues.

“There are many sensitive issues, if Gen Bajwa is not concerned about it, we are,” she said on the ex-army chief’s claims that he also has tapes on the former prime minister.

“But don’t push us to the extent that we are [compelled] to reveal them.”

When asked whether the PTI also has audio tapes of the retired general, Dr Mazari said there are no audio tapes, but certain things were said in briefings given to the government and the parliament.

“We know what was said about [some] people and what the policy on India and the US was,” she added.

On the question that whether the former army chief was in favour of India in any way, Ms Mazari replied, “I would only say that when the proposal surfaced to start trade with India, it was the Cabinet’s decision that until India steps back from its illegal actions of Aug 5, we cannot talk with it.”

When asked further if Gen Bajwa had a contrary view on the issue, she said, “Probably; the proposal did stem from somewhere.”

“Bajwa sahib said himself ‘I had arranged [matters] and a meeting was also being held but then Khan sahib said the meeting of national security advisors could not take place neither could trade’,” she added.

When asked about the PTI chairman’s demand of legal action against Gen Bajwa for alleged violation of the Constitution, Ms Mazari said that the party “had all options open to it”.

“When the Constitution is violated, whichever Article is violated, there is the option to take action against the violator. So, let’s see what the President says.”

Farogh Naseem ‘damaged’ PTI govt

Ms Mazari also criticised her former cabinet colleague Farogh Naseem and blamed him for causing damage to the previous government.

She said Mr Naseem, who held the portfolio of law minister, “single-handedly inflicted more damage than anyone else.”

She blamed the former law minister for apparently having a role in misplacing the missing person bill from the parliament.

The human rights ministry had worked on the bill to criminalise enforced disappearance and it took 2.5 years to get it approved from the cabinet, Ms Mazari said.

But when the time came present the bill in the parliament, Mr Naseem insisted the interior ministry should table the bill, she claimed.

She said the bill apparently went missing while being moved among the interior and parliamentary affairs ministries and Senate office. “We heard it went missing in the Senate,” Ms Mazari said.

“You also know about the Senate chairman,” she said while hinting at the role of Sadiq Sanjrani who was voted as the chairman by PTI members in 2019 when the opposition tabled a no-confidence motion against him.

She also blamed Mr Naseem for not tabling the bill on the criminal justice reforms because the former cabinet refused to make criticism of the army a criminal offence.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2023