THOSE who advocate negotiations with the Taliban should ask the families of countless innocent Pakistanis murdered in cold blood by these heartless people.

We have lost highly trained and patriotic officers and soldiers from the armed forces; our economy is on the verge of collapse because no one is safe; polio and measles have made a comeback.

Education in backward areas, particularly of the girl child, is suffering and yet the likes of Maulana Fazlur Rahman has become the mouthpiece of all obscurantist forces If the Taliban want to reform themselves and respect the injunctions of our glorious faith, they should be welcomed with open arms, but if they insist on their murderous ways, then every Pakistani who loves his country must stand united behind our brave armed forces and eradicate this menace permanently from our soil.

JAVED KHAN TAREEN Islamabad