ISLAMABAD: The PPP has assured the PML-N government of its support for its peace dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and urged the government to use force if talks fail.

In a statement issued here on Friday, PPP leader and former president Asif Ali Zardari urged the government to learn from the PPP government’s experience of dealing with the situation in Swat in 2009.

Mr Zardari’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar quoted him as saying: “The PPP government also gave first priority to dialogue in Swat.”

Mr Zardari said the decision to use force in Swat was taken only after talks had failed.

If the government took the PPP government’s experience as a guide it would be clear that in case of the failure of dialogue process using force was a practical strategy to end militancy and establish the writ of the state, he added.

Commenting on the on-going public debate over the negotiations between the representatives of the Taliban and government, Mr Zardari urged all political forces of the country to be on the same page.

“It is particularly important for political forces to be on the same page for the sake of democracy and also for keeping the initiative in the hands of political forces of the country,” he said.

The former president said the PPP was part of the multi-party conference held in September that endorsed the decision to hold dialogue with militants. The PPP was not against the talks with militants and hoped for the success of the process, he added.

Mr Zardari said there might be difference of opinions on how to conduct negotiations, but it was important that all stakeholders backed the policy of finding negotiated settlements of disputes.

A senior leader of the PPP, who did not want to be named, disclosed that the PPP government had singed an agreement with the Taliban after negotiations in which almost all of militants’ demands had been accepted.

“In that agreement the Taliban’s demand of Qazi courts had almost been accepted by the government, however, the next day Taliban leader Sufi Mohammad held a press conference and said Taliban do not accept Pakistan’s constitution and courts,” he added

He said the statement of Sufi Mohammad was the breaking point after which the government had to launch a military operation in Swat.

It is learnt that so far 13 agreements have been made with the Taliban since 2002 and all have failed or have been violated by militants.

The PPP leader said that in a 2002’s agreement Taliban had agreed to repatriate Chechen and Uzbek militants to their countries but they had backed out later.

In 2004, Taliban had agreed to get registered Chechens and Uzbeks but they had again refused to do so.

He said an agreement made in 2006 with the then chief of TTP Hakeemullah Mehsud was considered as a ‘game changer’. Under the deal the TTP had been offered to enforce its own version of Sharia in its strongholds (some tribal areas and Swat), he added.