Yousaf Shah and Irfan Siddiqui optimistic about peace talks progress
Members of the Taliban peace committee reached North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on Thursday to hold talks with the Taliban shura.
Prof Ibrahim Khan, Abdul Hayee and Yousaf Shah arrived in Miranshah, headquarters of NWA, in a government helicopter. They were received by civil and military officials. Later, they left for an unidentified location to discuss the future talks strategy with the Taliban commanders.
It is the second trip of the Taliban committee to NWA. Earlier, Prof Ibrahim and Yousaf Shah after two-day negotiations with Taliban returned to Akora Khattak on February 10. However, soon after their return from NWA, the talks ended in deadlock after terrorists exploded bombs at a Peshawar cinema, killed nine members of a family in Peshawar and slit throats of 23 FC men.
Later, the two sides declared a ceasefire, enabling the committee members to resume dialogue process.
Before leaving for NWA, Prof Ibrahim and Shah held a meeting with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Islamabad.
Talking to media in Peshawar before leaving for NWA, Shah hoped that the nation would soon receive “good news” about the peace process. He said that members of the committee needed to adopt a cautious approach.
“The venue of the meeting between the new government committee and the Taliban reps is yet to be decided,” he said.
The TTP negotiating team coordinator said the second round of talks is the ‘decision-making’ phase.
“We will meet with the government committee after meeting with the Taliban leadership,” he said.
SIDDIQUI’S NEW PAKISTAN:
Meanwhile in Islamabad, Irfan Siddiqui, adviser to Prime Minister on political affairs, said that a new round of talks has begun with Taliban.
The first committee, he said, performed its responsibility amicably. Siddiqui said that the next course of action would be decided after the return of Taliban interlocutors from North Waziristan.
He said that a new Pakistan was emerging due to the peace talks, which had led to a lull in violence in the country.
