A new solution: Subcommittee to resolve concerns of govt, TTP

Maulana Sami hopes Taliban will extend ceasefire.

ISLAMABAD:

Government negotiators and Taliban intermediaries agreed on Wednesday to form a subcommittee to look into reservations from both sides in an effort to keep the nascent peace dialogue process. 

“We have decided to constitute a subcommittee to look into complaints/concerns from both the sides,” TTP chief intermediary Maulana Samiul Haq told journalists after a joint meeting of the government negotiating team and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s intermediary committee.

The subcommittee, he said, would comprise representatives of federal and provincial governments, ‘concerned departments’ and both committees. He did not identify the ‘concerned departments’ but it was interpreted by some as a reference to security/intelligence agencies. “The subcommittee will address reservations of the two sides,” he added.

The meeting was convened by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to look into the situation against the backdrop of TTP’s refusal to extend their 40-day ceasefire. The government has already made it clear that it would not be possible to move ahead with talks in the absence of ceasefire.



Asked about the ceasefire, Maulana Sami said, “We hope for an extension in the ceasefire.” He, however, pointed out there had not been any ‘major incident’ since the TTP ended the ceasefire.

He said that the Taliban have been asked and will again be asked to “avoid all those steps which could undermine the peace process”. They will be asked to take steps that can help restore peace.

The cancellation of a scheduled meeting by the government with the TTP negotiators triggered speculations that the peace process has been deadlocked. But Maulana Sami sought to dispel the impression. “Both sides want to continue peace talks, he said.”

Responding to a question about the second face-to-face meeting between the government committee and the Taliban Political Shura, Haq said his committee would communicate with the Taliban over the place and time for the meeting. “We will finalise the time and place of the meeting in the next couple of days,” he added.

About the agenda of the face-to-face meeting, he said that issues including ceasefire and release of non-combatant prisoners would come up discussion. “The issue of non-combatants will come under discussion and we will try to settle it amicably,” he added.

Maulana Sami said that the Taliban would be furnished with the list of prisoners released by the government. “We will ask them to reciprocate and release such people from their custody as well,” he added.

The government has already released 19 non-combatant prisoners and announced to free another 13, which include people on the TTP list. The Taliban have shared a list of several hundred non-combatant prisoners and demanded their release as a ‘confidence building measure’.

Asked about the government and military’s agreement on the issue of releasing non-combatant prisoners, Maulana Sami said, “After today’s meeting, we are satisfied that the government and army are on the same page.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2014.