Sir: The present government’s desire to hold negotiations with the Taliban to bring these ‘estranged’ people back into mainstream politics is heartening and has been welcomed by some political quarters as well. The Taliban have said that they will consult their shura (council) before deciding how to proceed with the talks offer. What if the Taliban condition the peace talks with the immediate withdrawal of the Pakistani security forces from FATA? Will the government be in a position to accept the demand? If not, then there would be a stalemate. The majority in the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) belongs to the Mehsud tribe, who would never forget the killing of their two chiefs in drone attacks. Obviously, they would be the hardest to bring around. The TTP has always been talking about implementing Sharia in place of the constitution of Pakistan. What will be the response of the government to this demand? The government is dealing with extraordinarily tough people. Javed Ali KalhoroVia Email