Peace talks: Govt, TTP committees to meet today

Nisar to chair meeting; officials say govt seeks ‘tangible progress’.


Our Correspondent March 28, 2014
The army fears that the TTP is simply buying time to regroup. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

ISLAMABAD:


Government negotiators and Taliban intermediaries will meet on Saturday (today) to discuss a blueprint for talks. The meeting will be chaired by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, according to an official privy to the development. The meeting follows the first face-to-face talks between the government negotiating team and members of the Taliban Political Shura on Wednesday.


Saturday’s meeting will be attended by all members of the government committee, Secretary Ports and Shipping Habibullah Khattak, Additional Secretary FATA Arbab Arif, Additional Secretary to Prime Minister Office Fawad Hassan Fawad, Major (retd) Aamir and former diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand. Maulana Samiul Haq, Professor Ibrahim Khan and Maulana Yousaf Shah will represent the Taliban intermediary committee.

Sources said the meeting seeks to break the apparent impasse in the peace process, particularly regarding the release of non-combatant prisoners. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed that as many as 400 non-combatants, including women and children, are in the custody of the security agencies. However, the security agencies have refuted these claims.

“The issue could potentially be a deal-breaker in the talks,” said one official, who told The Express Tribune that the TTP had not given concrete assurance regarding an extension of the one-month ceasefire, due to expire next week.

Officials say the government’s patience is wearing thin as ‘tangible progress’ in the dialogue process has yet to be seen. “The government does not want to prolong the ongoing talks,” a source quoted the interior minister as saying.

Civilian authorities are thought to have been under pressure from the security establishment to reach a final decision on the fate of peace talks with TTP. The army fears that the TTP is simply buying time to regroup.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2014.

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