Although I rarely do these days, when reading columns from various Pakistani newspapers I still come across pieces that advocate negotiation with the 'faux' Taliban holed up in FATA. According to some esteemed brains, apparently, the sacrifices that our brave troops are making day in and day out are totally unnecessary. You see, if only we just talked to these folks over a cup of lukewarm cha. This ‘misunderstanding’ could be sorted out.

After all, they’re reasonable aren’t they? Surely their cartoon villain demeanors, suicide vests and scowls are probably just for show? Jonny Depp hardly looked much different in that rollicking pirates movie and the punters loved him all the more. More jaw-jaw rather than war-war is called for when the (obviously) foreign-sponsored TTP try and take over entire districts of sovereign Pakistani territory. Negotiation - compromise - appeasement.

I know our vaunted politicians have set the bar pretty low, but surely we still live in a moral universe with certain ‘absolutes’? The fact that neither we nor our politicians live up to the high standards that Islam demands does not mean that we can dispense with them and resort to moral relativism. It is a notion that has plagued our thinking for far too long. Wrong is wrong. Sometimes there really are no shades of grey.

Yes, we allow ourselves to be ruled by the most corrupt amongst us; yes, we too have no qualms in bending/breaking rules in our own interest, but for once in our lives, can we just stand up for common decency? Surely we can all agree that flogging girls on the roadside, beheading innocents and traumatizing entire communities transgresses all limits? The government has been negotiating with these people for years to no avail. They have proven themselves to be treacherous. Through their oppression, the ‘faux’ Taliban have revoked all claims to Islamic credentials.

Yet while our martyrs fall in valleys in the West, the appease-niks still quibble and wring their hands. Why do they not understand? When negotiations fail, we must not hesitate to use force. The Kharjiites rejected Hazrat Ali (RA) as the TTP now reject the Ummah. Merciful and wise, Hazrat Ali (RA) negotiated then too, but when betrayed, he knew when to strike back. He didn’t do it out of fear for his chair or the greed of his ego. He did it for the sake of the Ummah and his devotion to the legacy of his Master (SAW).

Today, Pakistan is the final fortress of the Ummah. If Pakistan falls, countless generations will fall prey to tyranny. It’s time for us all to get behind our heroic armed forces. Our conscience is clear. We tried the path of appeasement. Sometimes it works . This time it failed. There’s no talking to the fake Talibs. Unfortunately, it seems there’s no talking to the appease-niks either.