File photo of Taliban fighters. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Ismatullah Muaweea, the head of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) Punjab province chapter, on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's offer, saying that the prime minister had shown maturity.
Sharif made the offer to extremists on Monday in his first televised address to the nation since taking office after winning elections in May – a sweeping, hour-long speech that focused on Pakistan's myriad problems.
"Wisdom demands that we follow a path where we minimise the loss of innocent lives," said Sharif.
But TTP distanced itself from Muaweea's comments and said that the commander has no more role in the outfit.
"The Taliban decision making body met under Commander Hakimullah Mehsud and decided that Ismatullah Muaweea has no relation with the TTP," Shahidullah Shahid, Taliban spokesman, told AFP.
"He is respectable for us, but he has no relation with the TTP. The decision about the new head of TTP's Punjab chapter will be taken in next meeting of our decision makers," he said.
Muaweea's response to Sharif's speech was surprising for many because the Taliban had earlier withdrawn their own offers for peace talks after one of their main commanders was killed in a US drone strike in the North Pakistan.
In his statement distributed in Wana, South Waziristan, Muaweea had praised the government's step.
"The prime minister has shown maturity with his talks offer and he has also strengthened the desire for peace by staying executions," he said.
Pakistan on Sunday ordered a temporary stay of executions following objections from the president and rights groups, days before they were due to resume after a five-year moratorium.
However, one beneficiary of this moratorium are Taliban militants, who had threatened that they will consider the executions of any of their prisoners a declaration of war.
COMMENTS (33)
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@numbersnumbers: Dear numbers, csmann, You guys keep on with the same old mantra. Why don't you look at the big picture and say something intelligent.
Please stop calling Taliban 'mujahideen'. They are the worst enemies of Pakistan and Islam. They have created a negative image of Islam. They have held our country hostage. They kill Pakistani civilians. They are thugs, criminals and murderers. We Pakistanis pray that these killers are eliminated from our country once and for all.
Does he get to serve a 30 day Notice period?
TTP has more disciplines than pak govt.
A simple answer to all these comments is that this nation should rise up against Taliban. Side line those political hypocrites first who pretend to be anti Taliban but covertly support their agendas All the agencies including the army and the nation should be on same page on this issue . Security agencies should Infiltrate different Taliban groups, sow the seed of dissidence and mistrust among the factions they infiltrate . Allow them to fight out each other out and wait for the emergence of the fittest group and then go for the ultimate kill..Talibans are scourge they must be cleansed. There is little point in talking with them. negotiations hadn't work nor it will.
WOW, Taliban militants say that any executions of their prisoners in Pakistani custody would be a "declaration of war", BUT Taliban should be free to kill as many Pakistanis (30,000 plus and counting so far) as they want!!! HMMM, Someone might believe that the Taliban had "declared war" a long time ago!
Journalists: stop showing terrorist things about Pakistan. Understand that negative news sells and we all get glued to the tv for everything horrible. But out country has less terrorism than many other, where psychopaths go on a killing rampage. Start projecting a positive Pakistan.
Other foreign news channels immediately cling on to your reports to portray Pakistan in the worst possible way. No one wants to come to our country which is full of people with affection. No overseas Pakistani would want to invest, no stability will reach, as educational institutes will also feel scared to come. We are a nation of good people, with bad journalism, selling our country. For short time monetary benefits you are selling your country. Just realise the long term consequences. It is your responsibility. If media is fair act responsibly in the interest of your country. You have the power to project what is good.
To those who have been talking about negotiating with TTP, all one can say is 'hor choopo!'
All the guys in the picture are posing as Sultan Rahi and Mustafa Qureshi.
These types of statements have little value unless the people making them have clearly demonstrated that they and they alone call the shots.
Muaweea has been placed on administrative leave without pay and may be assigned OSD in southern Punjab!
Nawaz Sharif got his reply for peace talks with the Talibans and should look at the OTHER OPTION now.
Poor Ismatullah Muaweea he got sacked, he must be updating his CV as we speak. He has a gud chance of getting a new job in PMLN or JI. P.S. ET please don't portray this group of barbarians as an organization, they are mere thugs and criminals
ET, so you dont have the courage to publish the truth may be your master USA would mind?
so this means criminals WRITING our Prime Minister? PM sahib, why donot you ELIMINATE, not only these CRIMINALS, but their forth coming 10 GENERATIONS too?
actually I had to write to its bad instead of good. sorry for wrong composing. I was wishing for peace talks or reconciliation process. Must talk to every one to bring peace back.
ET where are my comments. A part of your policy to decline the truth in this media campaign of yours?
We should give the punjabi Taliban, ttp and all the other Taliban a piece of remote uninhabited land with some tanks to eysettle this. Latest they will leave us alone
@ bilal , your observation seems to be correct but wait and watch to see the result . Entire Pakistan and India and rest of the world is watching this dwvelooment . We in India will not left any stone unturened if the talk is intended to score some specific goal . Though we are not a direct party to it but we know very well that how these maderssa products have been used for gaining political advantages through creating disturbances in J&K in the past , Be sure this time these elements will be turned to Haazi if granted life to live in Pakistan and the govt. will bear the cost of their Haj .
Its good. Its time to see some peace please all the parties should support reconciliation process. Mian Saab is sincere to bring back peace and happiness to the land of Pure. I proudly believe on PM for his honesty and committeemen. Koeee Shaak???
Please watch this video link where even a person like Hassan Nisar feels that Taliban might be better than all these governments in Pakistan;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QETkpdeUu98
According to Hassan Nisar, Taliban are Dervesh people. It seems there is a big population who support Taliban rule in Pakistan.
"Taliban militants, who had threatened that they will consider the executions of any of their prisoners a declaration of war." as if they have not declared war already.What is 50,000 citizens dead,billions of property destroyed,schools destroyed etc. ect. mean? Just some field exercises?!!
@all members.... please its time to raise our voices against these inhuman humans[at least i have the courage to call them humans]..... we should urge our political leaders to deal with them harshly..... Please GOD help us...
@jibran.... i strongly second you on this.... they should not be elevated to the degree of commanders.... these are thugs low lives blah bllah blah blah........... i have tears in my eyes when i am writing this...... OHH GOD help us....
''PEACE TALKS WITH TALIBAN'' i have been hearing this joke from last one year since the election campaign started.... first of all PTI for grabbing some votes and now PML N out of sheer fear of these barbaric species..... i will only say this to taliban''if you are terror to many,then beware of many''
@Bilal: Its time to give a shut up call to their supporters like Fazl ur rehaman and Manawar Hassan
...and Imran Khan and Shahbaz Sharif.
Obviously, if there are talks and peace gets restored then what would warrant drone attacks in Pakistan?? Its just not in the interest of the puppet show runners!
TTP themselves offered to start negotiations and now they are sacking those who welcomed the govt peace talks offer? This means they are not interested in peace talks and it is just means to play with the writ.
They don't want peace that is it.They are dividing the nation and killing us one by one.They single out their target and rest of the nation thinks we are safe so lets not panic.They bombed three political parties in the elections and other parties remained mare spectators.They are killing Shiites and we are just watching.This is how they are dividing us and trying to destroy our country.They slaughter our sons,they bomb our schools,they attack our tourists,they ambush foreign teams,yet their are political leaders who want to talk with them.
The head of TTP Punjab immediately welcomed Nawaz Sharif's offer, just as PMLN leaders did. The association between the two appears stronger than previously perceived. Indeed, TTP provided PMLN with full 24 hour security in the run up to the elections, while selectively targeting its opponents. Nawaz's offer is now to keep his part of the deal.
ET, please also add the statement issued by Ismatullah, which i saw on a news channel. He declares Punjabi Taliban as a separate entity not under direct control of TTP. Hence as per him, TTP has no right to sack him. This will make this news item complete and probably will portray the differences in different factions of Talibans.
Why media uses the word "commander" for these thugs, and criminals? Ringleaders or Gangleaders is what these low lives really are.
This shows how much interested they are in peace.Its time to give a shut up call to their supporters like Fazl ur rehaman and Manawar Hassan.