The news about the killing of Muhammad Khorasani, the operational commander and the spokesperson for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has come amid reports that the dialogue with the TTP was on hold. On one hand, the killing has almost ended the prospects of any talks or peace deal with the militant group and on the other hand, it could trigger fresh wave of terrorist activities in Pakistan as a backlash. Anyhow, the development has created an opportunity for the Afghan Taliban to assure Islamabad that they are willing to support operations against all banned outfits in Afghanistan. His killing has also vindicated Islamabad’s stance that terrorists from across the border attack Pakistan and its people. If the new Afghanistan government and Pakistani military continue to deal like this with the enemies of Pakistan then there is a real chance peace will prevail in this region. The Afghan Taliban must not allow their soil to be used against a country that has, inter alia, been supporting millions of its citizens as refugees since 1979; such brotherly love must be reciprocated by Afghanistan to demonstrate its sincerity and not allow the enemies of Pakistan to manipulate it against the government and people of Pakistan.
The killing of Khorasani could be a severe blow to the TTP leadership as he was a forceful and leading militant in the increasingly fractured terrorist outfit. He was reportedly busy in uniting the TTP activists to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. The killing of a key TTP leader gives hopes that peace will be restored in the volatile region. The killing also shows that some sort of collaboration is being developed between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan for the elimination of terrorists. Already the war has wreaked havoc and there is a need for a decisive action against militants. Those militants who are ready to quit violence must be engaged in talks while those who are not ready to lay down their arms should be eliminated. Peace is in the interests of all stakeholder countries, the region and the world. We have our hands full, and it seems we welcome the help to take out our shared enemies.
