Peace initiative: PM sees attacks as ‘setback’ for talks

Govt chief negotiator says Nawaz Sharif has asked for briefing on developments in dialogue process.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday termed the attacks in Peshawar and Karachi ‘unfortunate’, and said they were indeed a setback for peace talks with the Taliban.

“We initiated the dialogue [with the Taliban] with all sincerity, but the recent incidents in Peshawar and Karachi are unfortunate,” he said while speaking to the media aboard his special plane, en route to Pakistan from Turkey.

“They [the Taliban] have claimed responsibility for the incidents… this is definitely a setback and not good [for the peace process].”

The premier said the killing of innocent people not only breached moral codes but also contravened the teachings of the Holy Quran. He questioned why such incidents had occurred when the dialogue process was under way and said he would discuss the matter with the convener of the government’s negotiating committee, Irfan Siddiqui.

Replying to a question, the premier said it was his desire that not a single innocent life would be lost as a result of unrest in the country.

“There should be no bloodshed… no child, woman, or any member of the law enforcement agencies should lose their lives… If such a desire is achieved with sincerity, I think, it will be a great achievement on my part,” he said.

The prime minister also pointed out that the government constituted a committee for dialogue with the Taliban after consensus, in a bid to dispel the impression that the country’s civil and military leadership were not on the same page.

PM asks for briefing on peace process

Irfan Siddiqui said that the prime minister asked about developments in the peace process first thing upon his return from Turkey. “The Prime Minister House has asked me for a briefing on developments [in the peace process] over the last few days,” Siddiqi told The Express Tribune.

He reiterated that “the Taliban should forthwith publicly announce cessation of all hostile acts that undermine peace” and ensure the implementation of such a pronouncement for the peace process to be viable.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2014.