Giving in?: K-P cabinet wants immediate halt of drones, office for Taliban

The members also asked the Taliban to stop killings on humanitarian grounds.

PESHAWAR: Following their emergency session on Thursday after the assassination of provincial law minister Israrullah Gandapur, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet reconvened on Friday to demand an immediate halt to drone strikes, and let the Taliban open an office.

The cabinet session, presided over by K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, demanded an immediate end to drone strikes from the federal government.

The members also urged the Taliban to stop killings on humanitarian grounds.

Referring to an earlier statement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Taliban being allowed to open their offices in the country, the cabinet said that the demand was made to turn peace talks into a reality.

The cabinet argued that by allowing Taliban to open offices, external forces will not be able to derail the peace process.

The cabinet further said that provinces should be kept in confidence about the ongoing attempts at peace talks with the Taliban.

The All Parties Conference (APC) in September saw major political parties decide that dialogue would be pursued as a way to counter terrorism. However, recent attacks by Taliban have called the APC resolution into question.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed that no serious attempts have been made by the government at holding talks.