The two sides gathered at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
House in Islamabad for a preliminary meeting to chart a "roadmap" for future discussions, amid deep scepticism over whether dialogue can yield a lasting peace deal.
Following the meeting which lasted almost four hours, Maulana Samiul Haq
...the
Godfather of the Taliban,leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as
Mullah Sandwichfor his habit of having two young boys at a time...
read out a joint statement to the media.
According to the blurb, the two sides met under a cordial environment.
The government committee demanded that talks be held within the framework of the constitution, and that the scope of the peace talks be limited to only the insurgency-affected areas of Pakistain.
The government committee also said that all activities which may affect peace efforts should immediately be stopped, and that talks should be smoothly concluded in a short timeframe.
Referring to the 10-member Taliban monitoring committee, the government negotiators sought clarification regarding scope and authority of both TTP teams.
On the other hand, the Pak Taliban committee urged the government to clarify the mandate and level of authority of its four member committee, and its ability to implement a peace pact.
The Taliban team also demanded that their meetings be held with Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
, the army chief and the DG ISI.
Journalists were not allowed to ask questions following the joint blurb.
The government's negotiators include Irfan Siddiqui, special assistant to the prime minister and coordinator of the committee, Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former Pakistain ambassador to Afghanistan, Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
-based journalist Rahimullah Yousufzai and retired Major Amir Khan.
Negotiators from the TTP's side include Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Professor Mohammad Ibrahim.
Initial peace talks failed to get under way Tuesday when the government delegation refused to meet the myrmidons' negotiators, citing confusion about the make-up of their team.
The TTP had initially also nominated Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) chief Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five...
and former Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...the political wing of the Pak Taliban...
(JUI-F) politician Mufti Kifayatullah in their committee. However,
women are made to be loved, not understood...
both later refused to be part of the committee.
In a statement Tuesday, the TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid said that Mualana Samiul Haq and his two colleagues had their blessing to go ahead with the negotiations without Khan or Kifayatullah.
"The three-member committee is final now and we have our full confidence in it to hold talks," he had said.
The Taliban committee is now expected to travel to
Wazoo to convey the progress of the negotiations to the TTP leadership.