Malik asks Taliban to appoint real representatives for talks

Interior Minister Rehman Malik Saturday said that Taliban are neither serious nor sincere in talks with the government.

The remarks came days after the Taliban offered conditional talks with the government, who also sought guarantee of three senior Pakistani religious and political leaders.

The Taliban spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, had also called for the release of their two former spokesmen – Maulvi Said Umer and Muslim Khan, who he said will lead the Taliban negotiation team.

However, a minister in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Saturday ruled out the release of Taliban prisoners before the talks and asked the Taliban should nominate some other names for the talks.

Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, viewed with suspicious the Taliban dialogue offer and said the Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan has no credibility and that Taliban cannot befool the Pakistani nation by such jokes.

Malik told reporters in Islamabad the Taliban have nominated Adnan Rashid, who is a proclaimed offender, and fled last year when armed Taliban stormed the prison in the country’s northwestern district of Bannu.

Rashid was involved in masterminding attack on former President Pervez Musharraf. He appeared in the video when the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman offered talks in the video message.

The Interior Minister urged the Taliban to nominate their real representative, if they are serious in holding peace talks with the government.

Malik said that all statements by the Taliban that seem to be made on the directions by someone else as they don’t seem to be that of the TTP. However, the minister appreciated the offer of talks with Taliban before the general elections and termed it as a good omen.

Malik once again urged the militants to give up violence, the oft stated precondition to talks.

“If they believe in Pakistan’s sovereignty, they must stop killing innocent people,” he said, adding that the murder of one innocent person was like killing the whole of humanity.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=38111

Posted by Tahir Khan on Feb 9 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.