Article

2014-02-18 India-Pakistan

[Pak Daily Times] The much-hyped controversial peace talks with Taliban broke down on Monday following execution of 23 FC soldiers captured from Shongari checkpost in 2010 by a terrorist outfit calling itself

Mohmand Agency
... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar...
Taliban -- in a devastating blow to the PML-N government's 'last-ditch' efforts to bring peace to the terror-stricken nation through negotiations.

The four-member government negotiating committee immediately cancelled a scheduled visit to Akora Khattak for a meeting with the Taliban committee. "It is a unanimous decision. I myself phoned Yousaf Shah and informed him that we are not coming," advisor to prime minister and coordinator of government committee Irfan Siddiqui told journalists. "We do not want to play meetings," he said, and added that the martyrdom of FC personnel is a highly condemnable act that cannot be tolerated.

"We regret to say that things are not moving in the right direction. Peace talks are purposeless after the sad and condemnable murders," Siddiqui said. A meeting will be convened on Tuesday (today) to discuss the future course of action, he added.

Another member of the committee, Rahimullah Yousufzai, said it was necessary for them to discuss the killings of FC soldiers with the government before any further interaction with the TTP negotiators. He said it was not yet confirmed whether TTP had ordered the killings or someone else did it just to spoil the grinding of the peace processor.

Rustum Shah Mohmand, another member of the government negotiating team, said putting the talks back on track will be a huge challenge. "There is only one way, what I think, to salvage the grinding of the peace processor: the main body of TTP dissociates itself from the statement of Omar Khalid Khurasani. Or, if they declare he is not an integral constituent of their movement and that he has given the statement in his personal capacity or (may be) to sabotage the grinding of the peace processor," he opined.

Mohmand said the grinding of the peace processor had entered into a 'blind alley'. "Only an unconditional ceasefire by Taliban and release of Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, and Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, could help the cause."

The Taliban negotiating team has, however, regretted that the Akora Khattak meeting could not take place. "We were close to reaching an understanding on ceasefire but it is sad that the government committee called off the meeting after considering us as Taliban," Yousuf Shah told a presser. Taliban committee is only a negotiating team, he said and added, "We are not separate from the government committee. They should not consider us Taliban."

He said the two committees should have held the meeting to jointly work out ways to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future as well as restoration of peace in the country. "We regret that government team did not come for a meeting today. We could have done a fruitful discussion on restoration of peace," he said.

He said military operation will only bring more bloodshed, displacement and terrorism to the country. "It's not a solution," he said, and added that both committees need to re-establish contacts and launch renewed efforts to end violence in the country.

The other committee member, Professor Ibrahim, said both sides should exercise patience and restraint. He said they could not defend Taliban as many hands were active in the region. He said Taliban committee was acting only as negotiators and it should not be made a party. He said they wished an early ceasefire could be agreed but it looked difficult after the latest developments.

Maulana Samiul Haq
...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time...
chaired the Taliban committee meeting, attended by Maulana Yousaf Shah and Professor Ibrahim Khan.

Posted by Fred 2014-02-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1 Zoe Noes, the hell ya say!?

Posted by JosephMendiola 2014-02-18 21:11|| 2014-02-18 21:11|| Front Page Top

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