Negotiating with militants: Federal government asked to back peace talks

Information minister says talks will have a positive outcome only if key stakeholders take ownership.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government wants to move ahead with negotiations with the Taliban and said it is time for the federal government to take both the military and security agencies into confidence and announce its plan for peace talks.

The last all-parties conference (APC) convened by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl called for immediate talks with militants. Another APC organised by the Awami National Party (ANP) earlier had reached the same conclusion. The general consensus has been that talks can bring an end to terrorism in the country.

Briefing the media at the Officers Mess, K-P Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the federal government should take a serious initiative by convening an APC.

“Only the federal government has the power to start negotiations with militants,” he said, adding that a schedule should be announced. All leading political forces are in favour of peace talks and the federal government must carry forward this consensus.

He said just beginning talks will not end terrorism until there is some substantial outcome. There can be a positive result only if the negotiation process is owned or endorsed by key stakeholders, including the Taliban, security agencies, tribal elders and the province itself, maintained Hussain.



“No one will be allowed to use negotiations for other gains,” Iftikhar declared, referring to the release of notorious militants. “We are striving for peace and the ANP is determined to go ahead with its objectives, which are possible through dialogue.”

Also present at the briefing was Environment Minister Wajid Ali Khan. He claimed that a development budget of Rs1 billion has been allocated for the department in the last five years, while the revenue generated by the department stands at Rs3 billion.

The minister further said nurseries were established on 775 acres, adding that 1.23 million seedlings/saplings were distributed amongst community organisations and farmers during the last five years.

“Soil conservation was carried out on 6,092 acres of the land,” Khan said, adding that Rs2 billion was distributed to forest owners as royalty accrued from harvesting dry and wind-fallen trees.

He said the government has established three regional offices in Abbottabad, Swat and DI Khan, while divisional offices at Bannu, Mardan and Kohat have been approved to facilitate public appeals to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding their grievances on environmental issues. “An EPA laboratory for monitoring water, air and industrial pollution has been established in Peshawar, which will help in protecting the environment,” he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2013.