Sir: What is happening in Pakistan today is exactly what governments do in South Asia: if they are determined not to resolve an issue, they just form a committee to bury it. However, this time, it is not a single committee to focus on rooting out terrorism in Pakistan, but a host of committees representing the Taliban on both sides of the table — political Taliban versus militant Taliban. Even if we expect some outcome from these Taliban plus Taliban talks, will that be acceptable to the rest of the Pakistanis who are not represented in these talks? The government did not nominate any political leader from its side and similarly the Taliban did not put forward any commander for the talks. In other words, the faceless are negotiating with the faceless, and so we should expect a faceless outcome. Where is the representation of liberal political parties? Do they not have any say in the running of state affairs, especially when the government is pushing the country towards collective suicide? We know what the outcome of these talks will be. The Taliban want an official handover of the tribal belt to run their own government; if approved by the right-wing government in Islamabad, this will be the second secession in the country’s short lifespan. Mind you, the Taliban will not be content with the tribal belt only — they are eying Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. There may be a temporary lull in terrorism but that is what happens prior to a real thunderstorm. What a shameless bunch of so-called leaders destined to rule a nation of 200 million people. MASOOD KHAN Jubail, Saudi Arabia