A file photo of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif during a press conference. PHOTO: SANA/FILE
Nawaz was speaking to media in Lahore on Thursday.
The TTP expressed its willingness to enter peace negotiations on February 4 with the government if three senior politicians – Nawaz, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Jamaat-e-Islami amir Syed Munawar Hasan – would act as guarantors.
Interior minister Rehman Malik claimed Nawaz had refused to be an insurer.
Criticising the government today for being unreliable, Nawaz said hardly anyone would agree to act as a guarantor for the process.
Calling for result-oriented negotiations, the PML-N chief said the country is in need of peace.
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@Baset: nobody cares what imran khan says
accepting talibans one or otherway would be dangeriuos
He was a silent sympathizer of Taliban. Now Opens up!
Now I know for sure NOT to vote for PML (N). They are all closet Talibans.
first Taliban khan .....now Taliban shareef......:-)
@Hopeful: true!
Nawaz Sharif is reacting as if this is a rare opportunity for Pakistan that TTP has been so generous and kind to offer 'talks' , that the state of Pakistan must grasp this rare gift, before its with drawn. TTP must be laughing.
i can only laugh at PMLN supporters who have been bashing IK for saying exactly the same thing so guys now what?
Don't forget, he recently came back from Saudi Arabia. This is totally dictation from his masters and dire supporters of Taliban regime. Unfortunately leaders like NS with strings attached in Saudi Arabia and others with Iran are main cause behind our miseries and sufferings. We need leaders who use their own brains both for domestic and foreign policies.
Because it is ultimately the negotiations not war the solution of disputes.
Sigh this is what Imran has been saying since years. I'm waiting to hear what Ch Allah Dad has to say :)
And it was imran khans wish to hold talks with the Taliban. Too bad theyve chosen nawaz Sharif. Nawaz never championed taliban rights lol. Funny!
@Saleem: my dear peace and negotiation can only take us back to prosperity. An eye for an eye will turn the whole blind..
Very mature approach. Nawaz is right.
no talks its time to crush them ............ They are on run .... dnt sell the blood of your own soldiers and all those laid there life in all this menace ...................Crush them ............
@Zeeshan: I think the only way out is for all political and religious parties to stand up together and denounce talibans of all factions openly and unequivocally. Only this will strengthen the army and give them courage to take on the talibans. Pakistanis are proud of Jinnah and say that he fought the British and Indians to give them Pakistan. Shame on them that they are giving away their country to the talibans and that too without a fight. Even more surprising is that the retired generals who claim to be the ultimate example of patriotism are advocating and supporting this cowardly act. Leaders call themselves "Lion" and claim that agains all threats from the rest of the world they blasted the bomb but chicken out, every time. Is this courage and patriotism?
These rightwing leaders are talking as if Pakistani civilians and police has invaded peaceful Taliban in their country. The fact is Taliban are killing innocent civilians and minorities in Pakistan to the extent of tens of thousands. It is like after a long killing spree you negotiate and surrender a serial killer. Where is justice and Islamic equality here? There are a few murders which require outrage like NAB official's suicide/murder but thousands are ignored.
@Saeed: um. How does this change anything in regard to Imran Khan? It's not like he has stupidity copyrighted. No matter what Nawaz Sharif says or does, Imran Khan is still the same. The only person it changes things for is Nawaz, and yes, he's just as bad as Imran Khan with this statement when it comes to the topic now.
Nawaz Sharif is a shrewd politician who has put the ball in the govt's court and got out of this tricky situation. It is to be seen whether Taliban agrees for talks when nobody named by them is ready to act as guarantor. The track record of Taliban is too bad to be trusted as they have flouted six previous agreements but blamed the govt and military for the same and new agreement would be no different and likely to end up in smoke.
Let's negotiate with India too as it is much strong and could be more useful for Pakistan than Taliban. If we are going to surrender let's surrender to everyone.
ofcourse, please do initiate peace talks! Give Peace a chance! thats what Imran Khan has been saying all this time and I'm glad Nawaz Sharif is next. We should definitely talk to the Taliban, and ask them to kindly stop killing our countrymen. We are willing to give up everything for this. Our countrymen's lives are most important. BUT also keep in mind, that talking (read "surrendering") to the Taliban will likely result in a similar situation as Swat 2009. Only this time, it will affect the whole country.
How lucky to have a wise leader like him who thinks we, the 7th nuclear power, should surrender to Taliban after being badly beaten by Taliban at every front. We need more of such visionary leaders.
Would Mr Nawaz Shariff please step up to the plate and explain to the people of Pakistan why he, in his "wisdom", thinks that a) the government of Pakistan should hold "peace" talks with people who have killed our countrymen? and b) how does he justify these killings in his "mind", that he is providing such "magnanimous" advice.
Do please let the people of Pakistan know -- so that we all know and understand the kind of "leaders" we have. And while you are at it, Mr. Shariff, please also don't hesitate to mention why you think it is alright to have peace talks with people who shot at Malala and her friends at point blank range; who have beheaded our jawans; who have killed women and children. Do please tell.
so lets copy GREAT KHAN again.....
Talk with Taliban but for surrender of illeagal arms and respect for the secular constitution of the country as a precondition . If talk without any condition happened that means Pakistan is openly giving shelter to those who are being chased by Drones .
@ayesha azeem: US has no interest in societal stability of our place, there only interest is to protect their own interest and they are served if taliban barbarians are busy here. We have to take care of ourselves. Our society will never be safe if we talk to the barbarians, we need to get up provide swift justice and protect the innocents, only we have to that and only we can do that.
I am not advocating doing zulm on zalimeens but a swift justice. Talking to them and bowing down to them would great injustice.
He just gave this statement to avoid Taliban's fury yet not becoming guarantor to avoid fury of civil society. This man Nawaz is not as stupid as many think.
Regardless of what has happened in our country over the last decade or so, we must understand that there is no other way out but talks with taliban.
@pk: Ahaan,,If no peace talks with TTP then what?Army operation against them?Really?When a super power US couldn't beat these barbarians,how do u expect Pakistanis to defeat Taliban? There is no way out but only to initiate peace talks with them otherwise Pakistan's future is just like Afghanistan which is unacceptable to us..
@saeed The won't say anything as this statement came from NS not IK media uses different standards to judge them but both going fr the same PM slot
after many many years, finally IK has managed to burst through their peanut brains and accept the idea of having talks with taliban!!
Nawaz is Right.The Govt Need to start Peace Talks. There is no benefit in fighting with taliban.
@Saeed:
Oh Dear what will the anti IK brigade say now?
Before that we need to see what IK himself says on this topic? is he soft on TTP? or want and demand just and swift punishments?
I really doubt on these talks as can't see TTP and government reaching to a point and even if they does , which is very unlikely, does army even care about both of them? Make peace with India, make peace with TTP then who's gonna spend 70% portion of budget on security forces in Pakistan.
Oh Dear what will the anti IK brigade say now?
And I wonder, would Mr. Nawaz Sharif same or even worse bashing than got the Imran Khan for talks with Taliban? Perhaps no, criticizing only Imran Khan satisfies everybody's soul here. And the man hasn't done a corruption of even a single penny till now. What a strange nation we are!
Peace talks with TTP, who have beheaded and bombed scores of civilians, but no second chances for shahrukh jatoi? Hypocrisy at its best!!!! , yeh in the end its all about political gains, thats their bread and butter! SHAME!
Nawaz has little intelligence, so might as well copy Imran Khan.
Something that Khan's been saying for the past 8 years.
I cant get it why are people like him bent upon talking to barbarians who have blood of 40,000 innocent souls on their hands. These people need to be crushed as they try to influence our lifestyles via force.
Politics aside, give one reason to talk with criminals who have no regard for sick, old, women and children, and has no respect for human life? Why yield to killers? They want to buy time and will start their killing spree again. They all must be eliminated - along with their supporters.
if imran khan talks about peace via diaolgue he is labelled as taliban khan...sigh