Senior commanders in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on Monday claimed to be holding initial peace talks with the government that could end a wave of bombings that has killed thousands of people.
“Peace talks are continuing with the Pakistani government and the army. We have had two rounds of such talks,” one senior Taliban commander told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. “A 10-member committee of the Taliban is negotiating. I am a member of that committee,” he added. He said Taliban conditions included troops withdrawing to barracks, the military compensating losses and an exchange of prisoners. It was unclear whether the talks were connected to a Swiss couple, who were abducted on July 1 and whom the TTP claim to be holding. No one from the military or government was available to comment on the purported peace talks.
A second TTP commander confirmed initial contacts, saying that Taliban across the tribal belt had given their consent. “Peace negotiations have been going on several weeks. Our first condition was to stop military offensives in the Tribal Areas. We have also consulted Taliban in other Tribal Areas, including Swat,” the commander said. “The Taliban in Swat are not willing to stop their war. The rest of the Taliban have given us the authority that what we decide will be acceptable.”
Chapter closed:But the main spokesman for the TTP denied any peace talks. “At the moment, the chapter of peace talks with the government is completely closed,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.
“How can we talk to them when they are continuing their operations against us?” Ehsan added, referring to clashes in Kurram Agency. The first Taliban commander told AFP that the talks concern South Waziristan and if successful, they will expand to other tribal districts. The commander said former military officials from the Tribal Areas were acting as mediators in the talks. Two mid-level intelligence officials in the northwest were ignorant of any peace talks, but said they could be taking place at a “very high level”.
