• PTI leader says one party leader is already part of government’s committee
• Says PTI is a liberal political outfit committed to peace and prosperity of Pakistan
• Reiterates the five guiding principles of talks with the TTP
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) top decision-making body, the core committee, on Monday decided that party chairman Imran Khan should distance himself from representing the extremist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and he should turn down the offer to negotiate with the government’s team.
“The core committee discussed at length the pros and cons of the proposal of the TTP. However, since our leader, Rustam Shah Mohmand, is already a member of the government’s negotiating panel, how come Khan could represent the TTP in talks,” argued a senior PTI member while talking to Pakistan Today.
The PTI leader, who attended the core committee meeting, said some of the core committee members also felt that the TTP’s offer was to dent the PTI and Khan’s political stature.
“Look, Imran Khan is the chairman of the second largest party of the country. How could he become a part and parcel of a militant outfit reflecting a specific minority school of thought? This proposal may be an effort to marginalise the PTI chief,” the source said.
The PTI leader added that his party was a liberal political outfit but it was calling for dialogue only to ensure peace and prosperity in the conflict-hit country.
“We have suffered a lot and our policy of dialogue has been time and again questioned by liberal forces. But we have always continued our support for peace talks just to save lives and the property of our peoples. We can’t cross more red lines and this is why we have decided to defy efforts to label the PTI as an extremist outfit,” the source added.
The PTI leader said that the party’s leadership endorsed Khan’s decision to stay away from the dialogue process but added that since the PTI was a staunch supporter of the dialogue process, the party leadership will closely monitor the dialogue for peace and it will be ready to facilitate if any hiccup emerges in the way.
“We have decided that in case of a hiccup, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will be ready to assist as it is an important stakeholder to the peace process,” the source added.
A handout of PTI stated that the PTI has always been an advocate of dialogue for peace so that the prosperity and progress of the nation can be assured.
“PTI reaffirms its support for the four-member committee in which the PTI has its representative in form of Rustam Shah Mohmand. The PTI also welcomes the formation of the 10-member TTP committee for dialogue. While the PTI appreciates the trust reposed in its chairman, the core committee has concluded the chairman cannot be a part of the five-member TTP-named arbitration committee. The PTI has however, asked the KPK government to facilitate the dialogue process in any way it can”.
The statement added that the PTI reiterated that it will support all developments towards peace through dialogue within the parameters of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
In this connection, the PTI has already given five clear guiding principles for dialogue which are: It must be within the parameters of the Constitution; to create a positive environment, there must be a ceasefire from both sides, especially an end to terror attacks during duration of the talks; the talks must be open and transparent so we know how they are progressing, what are the impediments and who are the saboteurs. We must be prepared for sabotage by enemies of Pakistan; the prime minister should demand of the US government an end to drone attacks so that the talks are not droned as happened last time; once talks commence, we need time lines so that results can be achieved. Time is the essence as powerful vested interests and anti Pakistan elements will be looking to sabotage the process.
“After a decade of destruction suffered by the people of Pakistan, the nation must ensure that peace is re-established and bloodshed of our civilians, security personnel and armed forces ends,” the statement said.
The PTI again asks all parties to thwart the designs of Pakistan’s enemies and help further peace through dialogue. The dialogue needs to be started immediately so that peace can come to the people of Pakistan without any further loss of lives, the statement concluded.
