AKHORA KHATTAK
MONITORING DESK
The committees representing the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) met at Akhora Khattak to resume the stalled peace talks, a private news channel reported
The committees held a news conference following their meeting. The government committee coordinator Irfan Siddiqui said the dialogue process had entered a new phase.
“We have entered the second phase and discussed moving the dialogue process further.”
According to Siddiqui the Taliban committee had expressed the desire to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Siddqui refuted the media reports that claimed that the government committee was being dissolved.
“If it were so, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Meanwhile, TTP’s negotiator Maulana Samiul Haq said that the announcement of ceasefire from both sides was a big achievement.
Samiul Haq said the third powers don’t want to see peace in Pakistan, therefore, incidents of terrorism continue across the country.
“The government and Taliban need to stop blaming each other and identify the enemy,” he said.
Maulana Sami added that the committees had opened the door for dialogue and it was no up to the stakeholders to make a decision.
Sami further said that the TTP hadn’t demanded any amendment in the constitution.
He applauded the role of PM for continuing dialogue process despite international pressure.
Sami also announced that the two committees will be meeting with the PM tomorrow.
According to media reports, the government had decided to dissolve the existing committee and form a new committee to represent it in the talks.
Sources added that the government committee has given some new proposals to the prime minister suggesting the inclusion of the representatives of federal government, army, KPK provincial government in the committee.
The new committee would also likely include a high-ranking official from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan would be its the focal person, added another media report.
The recommendation was pushed forward by retired Major Amir Khan during a meeting of the committee members with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday.
In Tuesday’s meeting it was decided to resume the dialogue process which had hit a deadlock following the killing of 23 detained Frontier Corps personnel by TTP Mohmand.
The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and committee members, retired Major Amir, Rustam Shah Mohmand and Rahimullah Yousufzai.
