LAHORE (Web Desk) - Spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has said that Taliban were ready to declare ceasefire if Pakistan government does so first. Responding to the appeal made by Pakistani Ulema in a conference held in Islamabad, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the TTP Shura had decided to proceed with the talks with the government in the light of the resolution of All Parties Conference. Thanking Imran Khan for his suggestion about opening of Taliban office, he said there was no need for an office for talks. Earlier, in a conference held in Islamabad on Monday, notable Ulema and Mashaiks had appealed to government and the Taliban to declare immediate ceasefire and start process of peace talks. Ulema were of the view that violence was no solution to any problem. The TTP insists it targets only legitimate military assets in its fight against the Pakistani state and says the recent attacks were a conspiracy to scotch the proposed talks. But a Taliban commander in the country s northwest admitted the prospect of negotiations had led to division within the movement. Hardline groups closer to Al-Qaeda, more sectarian and anti-West in outlook than the mainstream TTP, have rejected talks. Factions from Mohmand and Khyber tribal areas and Darra Adam Khel district -- all neighbouring Peshawar -- are staunchly opposed and the authorities are probing whether they were behind the recent attacks. Another militant source said overtures made to certain groups had triggered the Peshawar attacks as others sought to make their influence felt. But security officials remain sceptical about the TTP denials, saying the sophisticated nature of the three attacks suggested an experienced, well-equipped group was behind them. "Though TTP has publicly disowned the latest series of bombings, we are very much convinced that TTP as an organisation is involved," a senior security official in Peshawar told AFP. "They want to build pressure on both provincial and central governments before the peace talks." Pakistan government is under extreme public pressure due to these recent attacks and losing public support on the proposed peace talks." Even with public backing, the two sides positions look difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile. On one side the TTP have laid down exacting conditions for taking part in talks -- the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas, the release of their prisoners and a government ceasefire. Admin.Nadeem Ullah
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:22:23 +0000
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