Taliban negotiators hunting for peace

PESHAWAR/MIRANSHAH/SARGODHA

Taliban liaison committee member Yusuf Shah said on Saturday the infighting between two splinter Taliban groups will have no affect on the government-Taliban talks and the situation will be clear in a few days.
Talking to a private TV channel, Shah said contacts have been made with the Taliban Shura and the infighting would not affect the talks.
Shah said they would make efforts to convince the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to extend the ceasefire and make the peace process result-oriented. People would hear good news in this regard soon, he said. He claimed that the committee was in contact with the Taliban Shura to carry forward the peace talks.
In the meanwhile, TTP political council member Azam Tariq also said that conflict between two splinter groups would not hamper the government-TTP talks.
According to reports, Tariq also gave information that the dialogue process would further strengthen gradually. He said that the conflict between the TTP groups was not serious but media exaggerated the issue, adding that the conflict would not affect talk’s process at all. The TTP member also said that misunderstanding has been removed between two groups of TTP and the matter has been solved now.
SUSPENSION TO END SOON:
Separately, Prof Ibrahim, member of the TTP committee, expressed the hope that a suspension in talks between the government and the TTP would end soon.
Talking to reporters, he said the army should become part of negotiations instead of expressing reservations.
“Army should become a part of negotiations if it wants to show concerns,” he said, adding that efforts were underway for the next phase of talks and other meeting of the committees with the Taliban Shura.
He, however, claimed that the venue for the meeting could not be decided due to ‘difficulties’ from both sides. Ibrahim conceded that there was not much progress in the talks and the process had seen a sort of suspension.
“We hope the deadlock will end and the process will move forward, efforts are on to convert the temporary ceasefire into lasting peace,” he said.
“And if there are some hurdles we will use the second option that will be to persuade both the sides for an extension in ceasefire,” the senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader added.
Professor Ibrahim said that a delay in the government’s response in peace process creates concern. He said, “The Taliban side is waiting for reply from the government.”
Ibrahim said that the government seemed in trouble and confusion. He also said that no development has taken place so far in the peace talks.
“There should not be any delay in talks”, he added.
He said the government and army were standing on two crossroads on the release of Taliban prisoners and Musharraf and if the army has any reservations on talks then it should become part of negotiations.
He said this in an interview on Saturday. He held that ongoing tension between government and army and criticism on Taliban is creating hurdles on the way to holding talks.
On one hand the PPP is raising slogan for launching operation against Taliban and on the other hand it is demanding for release of son of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and son of former governor Punjab Suleman Tasi, he said. The statements given by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari can hinder the process of release of these two persons, he added. It is our desire that these are set free forthwith, he stated.
No decision has been taken so far by Taliban for extension in ceasefire, he observed. He held names of the released persons have not been given by the government and even names of 13 other Taliban who have been set free have not been received from the Interior Ministry.
A decade-long war cannot come to a halt within days, he underlined. Thousands of lives have been lost and thousands have been rendered homeless in the war launched during Pervez Musharraf’s regime, he remarked.
He said that the Taliban had asked government to hold talks at any venue in Wana. All the parties had mandated the government in the All Parties Conference (APC) to initiate dialogue process with the Taliban. But the talks’ process was delayed inordinately due to drone strikes by US, he held. To the government’s offer for talks, the TTP has responded positively and decided to hold negotiations with the government, he added. The talks process, he said, was hitting snag in the wake of certain reservations in holding direct talks with TTP.
Mullah Omar can play no role in the talks, he held.
He went on to say survival of Afghanistan was linked to Pakistan and the Taliban have some reservations on the constitution.