Under pressure from opposition parties to start talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to take political parties into confidence in this regard.
Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah had written a letter to Nawaz, demanding him to take parliament, political parties and the people into confidence on the progress made in the dialogue process. All political parties showed their agreement in the APC held on September 9 and gave a mandate to the government to start talks.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman have also been urging the government to implement the decisions of the APC.
On the other hand, TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud had also hinted to withdraw any conditions over dialogue with the government, arguing that neither the government nor the militants should set preconditions. Other factions of the TTP, however, have time and again linked talks with halting of drone strikes, release of top TTP warlords from prisons.
During a meeting with Chaudhry Nisar at the Prime Minister’s House, Nawaz said that all political parties had mandated the government through the APC to hold dialogue with the Taliban.
“The representatives of different political parties should feel as part of the process,” an official handout quoted Nawaz as saying, adding that peace and security were pivotal for economic development and prosperity.
When contacted, Waqar Gilani, PRO to Khursheed Shah, confirmed that Shah had written a letter to the prime minister, demanding the government to take the political forces and the nation into confidence on the progress made on the dialogue process with the militants as resolved in the APC. The letter was written on October 23rd, he added.
In his letter, Shah said that despite the lapse of one and a half months since the APC was convened, no political party or individual had been taken into confidence about the headway in the dialogue process.
“Shah said that it is the prerogative and right of the nation to know about development in peace process with the militants. We should be told when and where talks were held and who were the negotiators and the interlocutors.”
He added that the APC had been held on September 9 but since then the government had failed to take the political forces and the nation about any development in talks while the innocent people were being killed on streets and roads in across the country.
