Pakistani Taliban seek political, religious leaders guarantee for talks

Pakistani Taliban Sunday said that they would seek from the security forces guarantee of the country’s three top political and religious leaders for their proposed talks with the government.

Taliban have offered dialogue with the government to end the on-going bloodshed, however, the Taliban spokesman, Ihsanullah Ihsan, said in a video that the government has not yet responded to the offer.

The government says the Taliban should first lay arms and stop attack, the conditions rejected by the militants.

The Taliban spokesman said last month that they would call a guarantee from the security forces after a new military doctrine which views the home-grown militants as the major threat to the country’s security than a foreign threat.

The Taliban sent a video to the Pakistani media on Sunday, in which the spokesman of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan aid that the outfit wants to talk to the government and security forces provide guarantee of three top political leaders.

They listed former Prime Minister and chief of the Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman or Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan as guarantors for the talks.

The TTP spokesman said in the 10-minute video called for the release of Taliban detainees including Maulvi Omar, TTP’s Swat former spokesman Muslim Khan and other leaders. He said Maulvi Omar and Muslim Khan, would lead the Taliban delegation in the proposed talks.

The Taliban spokesman said that the government has not yet responded to their dialogue offer, adding that the ‘ball is now in the government’s court’.

He ruled out any ceasefire with the government, saying that their war is ‘based on Islamic principles’.

Taliban claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a camp of Pakistani forces in the northwestern district of Lakki Marwat on Saturday and killed 13 soldiers.

The TTP spokesman said that they carried out the attack to take revenge of the killing of two of their commanders who were killed in recent U.S. drone strikes in North Waziristan tribal region.

The TTP spokesman also said that they will keep on attacks on the PPP, MQM and ANP.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=37928

Posted by Tahir Khan on Feb 3 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.