Negotiators representing banned terror outfit, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said on Wednesday there was no chance of peace in Pakistan until the government imposes Sharia and US-led forces completely withdraw from Afghanistan.
The tough conditions appear to deal a blow to hopes that talks with the government could end the Taliban terrorism that has rocked the country since 2007.
Initial peace talks failed to get underway on Tuesday when the government delegation refused to meet the Taliban negotiators, citing confusion about the make-up of their team.
The two sides are expected to try to meet again on Thursday or Friday, though no definite arrangements have yet been made.
Washington and Kabul have been deadlocked over a pact known as the Bilateral Security Agreement, which would allow some US troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai refusing to sign it.
Its supporters say the pact is crucial to Afghanistan’s stability after the bulk of NATO forces pull out.
But Samiul Haq, the head of the TTP’s three-man talk team, said there could be “no peace” in the region while there were still US troops across the border.
His comments were echoed by his fellow TTP negotiator Abdul Aziz, who also said the TTP’s long-held commitment to imposing Sharia across Pakistan was not open to debate.
“Without sharia, the Taliban won’t accept (the talks) even one percent,” he said.
“If some factions accept it, then the others won’t accept it.
There has been scepticism about what the talks could achieve. Local peace deals reached with the militants in the past have quickly fallen apart.
“Their real agenda is Sharia,” Aziz said, suggesting that all secular courts based on the common law system be abolished.
“I don’t think the government will accept this but they should, because war isn’t the way forward.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s announcement last week that he wanted to give peace talks another try caught many observers by surprise.
The start of the year has seen a surge in militant violence, with more than 110 people killed, and many had expected the military to launch an offensive against TTP strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Sami said the success of dialogue process was necessary for bringing peace to the country.
Clarifying that his peace committee neither represented the government nor Taliban, he said that the committee was impartial and would be neutral, seeing interests of both sides – the Taliban and the government. He stressed that their role would be of intermediaries.
Sami also said the government should initiate talks with his committee to reach the TTP. He said the Taliban were not involved in recent wave of terrorism.
He criticised former president Pervez Musharraf, saying Pakistan is facing terrorism problems because of him.
Addressing a Kashmir rally, the cleric said that the Taliban were fighting for the country’s constitution.
Sami said he had expected Nawaz to renounce the foreign war when he became prime minister but he (Nawaz) failed to live up to this expectation.
The government was powerless in putting an end to the drone strikes and distancing Pakistan from the ongoing war, he said.
The chances of these talks being successful diminish daily…even before they get started the TTP demands are unreasonable…how can Pakistan decide if there will be NATO troops in Afganistan?…if they cannot soften their stance on insisting on things that cannot be granted then these and all talks are doomed to failure…
Who says Talibans are serious in talks? They are just gaining time and their todays' verdict cum condition is the open evidence of their backing out. Its written in bold letters on the wall that they are determined to do what they plan and you are talking of dialogue?
What dialogue are we waiting for, time is over, do what you may think is appropriate…..
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