Roadmap for peace: Assembly speaker says talks a must with disgruntled ‘friends’

Claims K-P govt was not informed about PM’s visit.

PESHAWAR: “We need to talk with our friends who have taken up arms against the government as issues are always solved through negotiations,” said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of K-P’s first ever think-tank ‘Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies’ at the University of Peshawar (UoP), Qaiser called the Taliban his “dost” (friends). He said Pukhtuns believe in negotiations for resolving disputes and talks must thus be held for bringing peace to the region, adding the nation has been plunged into someone else’s war and needs to pull out.

“The provincial government believes in talks which we shall engage in, as negotiations are a must for maintaining peace,” he said, reiterating the province cannot prosper without peace.



He also said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government has imposed an education emergency and will be meeting representatives of international universities in London on January 18 as more than 50 varsities are expected to open their campuses at the proposed education city in K-P.

Earlier, while talking to reporters, Qaiser said the government was ready to hold local government polls in March or April. He said had Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif informed the province of his recent visit to Swat, they would have welcomed him.

During his address, UoP Vice Chancellor Dr Rasool Jan said the departments of tourism and hotel management, health management and department for criminology will start functioning from the next academic year.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2014.