Intermediaries for talks: Nisar hails TTP’s move as ‘positive’

Says govt wants clarity on mandate of TTP’s committee

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has welcomed the nomination of intermediaries by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but sought “clarity about the mandate of the five-member committee” named by the group. 

“It is a matter of great satisfaction that both sides have announced their negotiating teams after many years and this reflects that both sides want to make peace through negotiations and dialogue,” Nisar said in a statement issued on Sunday.

His statement came a day after the TTP named a five-member committee – comprising Jamaat-e-Islami leader Prof. Mohammad Ibrahim, JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq, JUI-F politician Mufti Kifayatullah, Lal Masjid prayer leader Maulana Abdul Aziz and PTI Chairman Imran Khan – to act as intermediaries between them and the four-member committee formed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The government team’s coordinator, Irfan Siddiqui, also welcomed the Taliban’s intermediaries as ‘respectable’ politicians. “We welcome the [Taliban] committee and all members of the committee are respectable,” he said in a separate statement issued on Sunday.

However, the interior minister said the government sought clarity about the mandate of the Taliban committee and to what extent would the decisions made by the two sides be implemented. “The announcement [...] is a positive development, however, there are still some issues that need to be addressed after which the dialogue can start formally,” he added.

Regarding the government’s committee, he said it has been given full mandate and authority to conduct dialogue with the Taliban.

Nisar also thanked the Ulema who raised their voice for peace in the region. He appealed to religious scholars from all schools of thought to unite and guide the government at this critical stage in the country’s history.

The interior minister described the TTP dialogue as a very ‘complex process’, saying the political leadership as religious leaders have to play their role for the success of the peace initiative. He added that the government would decide the next step after consulting Premier Nawaz on Monday.



On the other hand, Siddiqui said his committee was waiting for the ‘green signal’ from the TTP’s team. “Talks should start without undue delay as per the aspirations of the nation,” he insisted.

Responding to a question about the venue of the proposed talks, Siddiqui told The Express Tribune that it will be in Pakistan. “We all are Pakistanis and talks should also take place in the country.”

PTI decides today

Although the PTI had decided that its chief Imran Khan could not be part of the Taliban’s committee, the party will still hold a meeting to see how it can assist in peace process.

“We will discuss how the PTI can assist [both sides] in our core committee’s meeting [on Monday],” PTI Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari told The Express Tribune. The PTI chairman will discuss the issue with the senior leadership of the party, including Javed Hashmi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Tareen, Ejaz Chaudhry, Azam Swati, Dr Arif Alvi and Shireen herself.

TTP’s committee meets today

JUI-S spokesperson Maulana Yousaf Shah said that the TTP’s committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting in Islamabad on Monday. “I have been in touch with other members of the committee and we are trying to meet on Monday to chalk out a strategy,” he told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

Asked about Imran Khan’s statement that the TTP should nominate its own people for talks, Shah said his party’s leader Maulana Samiul Haq was pressing him to join the committee. “Maulana Sahib is trying to convince the PTI chief.” However, he wouldn’t say whether Khan has agreed or not.

Meanwhile, Prof. Mohammad Ibrahim, one of the five members of the Taliban’s committee, said, “We will first hold our own meeting and then contact both sides.” He added that the Taliban have conveyed to him that they were serious about dialogue. “I am confident that both sides want to have constructive dialogue. I also hope the process will produce good results.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2014.