Govt, Taliban committee review talks progress
Maulana Samiul Haq says that next meeting will be held once a venue and time for it is decided.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan meeting with the Taliban negotiating committee on Saturday. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD:
The government and Taliban negotiating teams in their meeting in Islamabad on Saturday reviewed the progress in the recently held direct dialogue between the government team and Taliban Shura, Radio Pakistan reported.
Later talking to newsmen, Maulana Samiul Haq, member of the Taliban-nominated team, said that the agenda for further talks with Taliban Shura would be set during the next few days in addition to determining the venue and date of that meeting.
To a question, he said there was no deadlock in the talks and said progress has been made in the dialogue process.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan headed the meeting.
Sources had said on Friday that the meeting would seek 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.
The government and Taliban negotiating teams in their meeting in Islamabad on Saturday reviewed the progress in the recently held direct dialogue between the government team and Taliban Shura, Radio Pakistan reported.
Later talking to newsmen, Maulana Samiul Haq, member of the Taliban-nominated team, said that the agenda for further talks with Taliban Shura would be set during the next few days in addition to determining the venue and date of that meeting.
To a question, he said there was no deadlock in the talks and said progress has been made in the dialogue process.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan headed the meeting.
Sources had said on Friday that the meeting would seek 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.