The peace committees constituted by the government and Taliban finally met at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House here on Thursday and charted the roadmap for peace talks.
The meeting, which lasted for four hours, discussed apprehensions and reservations covering the dialogue process. Agreeing to keep the scope of their talks within the framework of the Constitution, both sides agreed on the modus operandi to move the talks forward.
From the government’s side, the meeting was attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui, former ISI official Major (r) Muhammad Amir, senior journalist Rahimullah Yousufzai and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand.
Tehreek-e-Talban Pakistan (TTP) was represented by Jamaat-e-Islami leader Prof Mohammad Ibrahim, JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq and Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz.
WITHIN CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK:
As the meeting began, the government’s committee demanded that talks be held within the framework of the Constitution and that the scope of the peace talks be limited to only the insurgency-affected areas of Pakistan.
The government’s side also asserted that all activities which may affect peace efforts should immediately be stopped and that talks should be smoothly concluded in a short timeframe.
Referring to the 10-member Taliban monitoring committee, the government negotiators sought clarification regarding the scope and authority of both TTP teams.
The government’s committee also accepted the offer of direct talks with the Taliban and agreed to visit any place for dialogue with the TTP committee without showing any reservations or hesitation.
LIFT BAN ON OUTFIT:
While the government’s side called for bringing an end to suicide bombings and other terrorist activities, Taliban committee demanded uplifting of ban from the outfits and announcement of ceasefire.
The Taliban also urged the government to clarify the mandate and level of authority of its four-member committee and its ability to implement a peace pact.
The Taliban team also demanded that their meetings be held with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the army chief and the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The outcome of the meeting was jointly narrated by Maulana Samiul Haq and Irfan Siddiqui during a press conference in which journalists were not allowed to ask questions.
AGREEMENT:
According to the joint statement issued following the first meeting of the committees, both the sides floated various recommendations during the meeting.
Sources said that TTP has agreed to keep first phase of peace dialogue secret. The message was conveyed to the government negotiating body through Taliban’s representative Maulana Haq. The message stated that the decision was taken to avoid involvement of any third party.
The committees also agreed to hold next meeting soon.
Source further said that both sides agreed not to linger on the peace talks for long time and avoid taking any action marring the process as the nation was anxiously awaiting “good news”.
A GLIMPSE OF RECENT PAST:
Initial peace talks failed to get underway Tuesday when the government delegation refused to meet the militants’ negotiators, citing confusion about the constitution of their team.
The TTP had initially also nominated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and former Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah in their committee. However, both later refused to be part of the committee.
In a statement Tuesday, the TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid had said that Mualana Samiul Haq and his two colleagues had their “blessings to go ahead” with the negotiations without Khan or Kifayatullah.
The Taliban committee is now expected to travel to Waziristan to convey the progress of the negotiations to the TTP leadership.
The militants have continued to target the army as before. Three rockets were fired on the Bannu Cantonment on Sunday morning while two soldiers were injured in an IED blast in Ladha, South Waziristan
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