Govt wants talks with political forces: Nawaz

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the government is in favour of talks with all the political forces. He added that those migrating from North Waziristan Agency (NWA) would be taken care of.
According to sources, he expressed these views while talking to Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar who called on him on Tuesday. The two discussed the current political situation and matters of mutual interest.

Nawaz said that under the circumstances, it was the need of the hour for political parties to unite and work together to uphold democracy and protect the integrity of the country.On the occasion, the governor apprised the premier of the recent events related to Dr Qadri.

The premier lauded the initiatives of the governor and praised his positive role in averting chaos in the country.The prime minister said that the country was passing through a critical phase as on the one hand they were facing threats of terrorism while on the other they were dealing with the energy crisis. Under this situation, all political parties need to unite to bring the country out of the challenges, he added. — Online

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir adds: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced that he would pay a visit to the internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps in Bannu to learn about their difficulties and express solidarity with them since they are rendering admirable sacrifices for the nation.

He said this while chairing a high-level meeting here at the PM House. The problems of the IDPs and provision of maximum facilities to them were discussed in detail.Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid, KP Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, PM Secretary Javaid Aslam, Special Secretary to the PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Aamer Riaz, DG ISPR Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa and other senior officials concerned attended the meeting.

The prime minister said that the IDPs were part of the war against terrorism and their heroic role would be remembered as no one could understate their sacrifices.He announced that all federal ministers, state ministers and MPs belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would contribute one month of their salaries for the IDPs relief fund established by him. Employees of the federal government will also contribute one day of their salary to the fund.

The prime minister appealed to philanthropists to come forward and generously donate to the fund. He asked the people to deposit their donations through cheques and items of daily need for the IDPs. He said that the government would tackle the issue as a human duty and nobody should use it politically.

The government would not leave any stone unturned to provide the IDPs with maximum facilities. They would return to their homes as soon as the situation turns conducive and no undue delay would be made in this regard. The prime minister assured that the government would provide funds for the IDPs on an emergency basis whenever needed.

The government has already allocated Rs1.5 billion for the IDPs. The federal minister for Safron and DGMO briefed the prime minister on the present situation of the IDPs. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed that the IDPs are facilitated in every respect. “The government is with the IDPs in these hard times. They will be taken care of,” the prime minister noted.

Nawaz to Modi: Let’s resolve all issues through talks

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has written to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi expressing satisfaction over his recent meeting and said he was looking forward to work with him in harmony to resolve all unsettled matters through talks.
In a letter released to the media by the Prime Minister’s Office here, the prime minister said he had “returned much satisfied” with a meaningful exchange of thoughts on matters of bilateral and regional interest.

Nawaz Sharif thanked Modi for this generous hospitality in the enduring Subcontinental tradition. He mentioned that millions in Pakistan and India were living in poverty who deserved the foremost attention of their governments.

“In many ways their future is integrated with our common economic destiny, and I firmly believe that in our concerted efforts lies the welfare and prosperity of our two nations,” the prime minister said. “It is my earnest hope that our endeavours will lay the foundation for a much brighter future,” he added.

Nawaz Sharif held talks with Modi in New Delhi last month after attending the inauguration of the Indian premier, who swept to power in a landslide election victory.

Modi’s invitation to Nawaz Sharif was a surprise move seen as a significant olive branch to Pakistan. The letter was sent last week to India’s foreign ministry through the Pakistan High Commission.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed the approval for financing of $700 million loan for Pakistan by the World Bank as a historical achievement.

Ishaq Dar apprised the prime minister of the World Bank’s approval for financing the 4,500MW Dasu Hydropower Project.The prime minister said $600 million will be utilised for the Dasu Hydropower Project and $100 million for the Sindh irrigation project.

The premier congratulated Ishaq Dar and his team for this remarkable achievement and said it shows confidence of the multilateral donors and foreign countries in the economy of Pakistan. He said the projects would lessen the power shortages and help in better utilisation of water resources.

The minister said the World Bank’s loans were purely concessionary and cheap. “The repayment schedule is spread over a period of 25 years including five years grace period, with low interest and nominal administrative charge of 2% per annum. It will also help in the reduction of domestic debt,” Ishaq Dar said.

Karachi airport attack: Last nail in peace talks coffin

ISLAMABAD: The bloody Fidayeen attack targeting the Jinnah International Airport has not only exposed the inability of law enforcement agencies to protect the vital national installations from terrorist attacks but has also proved to be the last nail in the coffin of peace talks between the Pakistan government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The dreadful assault has set alarm bells ringing for the law enforcement agencies which had earlier been criticised due to their failure to stop at least three similar Fidayeen attacks in the past — on May 22, 2011 targeting the Mehran Naval Base in Karachi, on August 16, 2012 targeting the PAF Kamra Airbase and on September 15, 2012 targeting the joint civil-military airport in Peshawar that houses the Bacha Khan International Airport and Pakistan Air Force and Army Aviation bases.

Subsequent investigations revealed that all these attacks were well planned, which could not have been possible without inside help.From the time Osama was gunned down in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, the TTP has launched a bloody campaign of retribution against the Pakistani security forces and civil and military installations.

The June 8 Fidayeen attack by the TTP has given credence to the apprehensions of security establishment that the talks by the Taliban are just a ploy to gain time and space and to evade a possible military operation in North Waziristan. Even otherwise, by entering into unconditional negotiations with a terrorist group that is accused of having killed over 50,000 Pakistanis, the government has only undermined the writ of the state and security of the nation.

With the TTP’s responsibility claim, which in fact is an open declaration of war against the government, the civilian administration seems to have been left with no other option but to react with full military might by launching the much-delayed military operation in North Waziristan, which is being used by the Taliban as a launching pad to plan and launch terrorist attacks all over Pakistan. The government’s policy of one step forward, two steps back cannot bring peace — only more death and destruction.

While describing the airport assault an act of revenge for the November 1, 2013 killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone attack, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has also dismissed the Pakistani government’s recent offer of a new round of peace talks as a ruse.

Threatening more terrorist attacks in the days and weeks to come, he said: “Pakistan used the peace talks as a tool of war. We have yet to take revenge for the deaths of hundreds of innocent tribal women and children in Pakistani air strikes. It’s just the beginning, we have taken revenge for one (Mehsud), we have to take revenge for hundreds.”

In fact, the June 8 Jinnah airport attack came 48 hours after the country’s civilian and military leaderships conveyed a clear message to the tribal elders in North Waziristan to flush out the miscreants, especially the foreign militants, from the volatile area within 15 days. The message was conveyed on June 6 when a Jirga of the Utmanzai tribe, led by Haji Sher Mohammad, held separate meetings with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan and Corps Commander Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani.

The tribal elders were told that they had failed to honour the six-point peace agreement, signed in 2006, as per which the Utmanzai tribe and the Shura Mujahideen North Waziristan leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who is considered to be a “good Taliban”, were bound to expel the foreigners from the area.

The bottomline of the tribal elders’ meetings with the governor and corps commander was that they would get rid of the foreign militants, especially the Uzbeks; otherwise, the Government of Pakistan would have no other option but to initiate a military action. The tribal elders had actually formed the Jirga to request the federal government to put off the imminent military action in North Waziristan.

However, the fact that the TTP has already claimed responsibility for the Karachi Fidayeen attack clearly indicates that the Taliban Ameer Mullah Fazlullah has already made up his mind to completely abandon the peace talks. Earlier, on May 14, Fazlullah had sacked the pro-talks Khalid Mehsud alias Said Khan Sajna as the Ameer of the South Waziristan chapter of the TTP without consulting the Taliban Shura.

Three days later, on May 18, Fazlullah had ordered [in a video message] the TTP suicide bombers or Fidayeen attackers to get ready to face the tanks and guns of the enemy forces. “The suicide bombers who are able to receive his message should convey the same to others who are still unaware of my orders. Like the Taliban militants, the Pakistan government, the armed forces and the intelligence agencies would also have to accept the writ of Allah Almighty by enforcing Shariah which is the mission of my life and which I will continue to pursue come what may,” said Fazlullah, who has already been accused of having ordered the killing of several senior Pakistani military officials, including the General Officer Commanding of Swat.

Following Mullah Fazlullah’s open declaration of war against the state of Pakistan, the pro-talks Said Khan Sajna faction of the Taliban announced to discard the TTP umbrella on May 28. The development was being described by security analysts as a major setback not only for Mullah Fazlullah but also for the military might of the TTP given the fact that Sajna enjoys the support of 12 major Mehsud tribes of South Waziristan, which had played an important role in the past in establishing the Tehrik-e-Taliban as a force to reckon with.

However, the audacious attack on the Jinnah International Airport has proved that the parting of ways by Sajna has hardly affected the military might of the TTP, courtesy the availability of Uzbek militants belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Those investigating the Karachi airport attack have conceded that a group of foreign fighters, especially the Uzbeks, seem to have played a major role in the Fidayeen attack. “Three militants blew themselves up and seven were killed by security forces,” said DG Rangers Rizwan Akhtar in televised remarks. “The militants appear to be Uzbeks.”

The Uzbek militants living in North Waziristan had already denounced the 15-day deadline set by the Pakistani authorities for the foreign militants to leave the area. Irked by hoisting of national flag by tribesmen in Miramshah and Mirali areas as a proof of their allegiance to the state of Pakistan in order to escape bombings, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan had declared on June 7 that it has decided to respond by hoisting black flags. In fact, the sale of the national flag had increased as more and more people in North Waziristan want to hoist it to demonstrate their allegiance to the state and escape bombing.

However, the IMU has criticised those hoisting the Pakistani flag, stating that those doing so were “weak-hearted Muslims” who are using the flags as a “defence” to ward off bombing. In a message posted on a militant website, the IMU’s spokesman, Abu Ibrahim, said the local tribesmen frightened by army attacks and bombings by military planes and helicopters and artillery had begun hoisting the national flag on roofs of their houses. “We still have not understood how effective this ‘defence system’ is against bombs and rockets,” he said. The IMU, comprising militants from Uzbekistan and of Turkic origin, has its main base in the town of Mirali.

To tell the truth, the TTP and IMU have long been collaborating and conducting joint terrorist attacks, especially targeting the Pakistani security forces. The last time they carried out a jointly coordinated terrorist operation was on December 16, 2012 when the terrorists targeted the Pakistan Air Force base in Peshawar. Four attackers were later identified as Uzbeks belonging to the IMU. The TTP and IMU had earlier joined hands to form a special unit of deadly Fidayeen attackers called the “Ansar Al Aseer” (the supporters of prisoners) whose prime mission would be to secure freedom for the imprisoned militants by carrying out jail-break Fidayeen operations all over Pakistan.

No talks with those who challenge govt writ: Mir Sarfaraz

NASIRABAD: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Khan Bugti has said that talks were not possible with those who challenged the government’s writ and took up arms, but dialogue would be held with those who lay down their arms.

Talking to a private TV channel, he said that a foreign hand was behind terrorism in Balochistan. He said that the federal government was cooperating for the establishment of peace in the province.

He said that solid steps were being taken for establishing peace in Balochistan. A foreign hand was behind terrorism in Balochistan while there were 34 terrorist camps in the neighbouring country where terrorists were being given training and sent to Balochistan.

While answering a question, Mir Sarfraz said that the length of the Afghan border with Balochistan was of several hundred kilometers. Despite this, the police, levies and other agencies were performing their services in order to control terrorism. He said that the present government had continued the search for missing persons. There would be no leniency for those who gave direct interviews to newspapers and the foreign media against the security and integrity of the country. Such people were not pardonable, he added.

New opening´ for US-Taliban talks possible: Hagel

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed hope Sunday the release of US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl would lead to direct US talks with the Taliban.

"It could, it might and we hope it will present an opening," Hagel said in an interview from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan with NBC´s "Meet the Press.

"Hagel noted that the United States had engaged in talks with the Taliban before, until they were broken off in 2012, and that it strongly supported an Afghan-led effort to reach a peace agreement with the Taliban.

"So maybe this will be a new opening that can produce an agreement," he said.Bergdahl, 28, was released Saturday near the Afghan-Pakistani border after nearly five years in Taliban captivity, in a surprise development that came as the United States is winding down its 13-year intervention in Afghanistan.

Hagel credited Qatar and its emir with Bergdahl´s release in a trade for five high-level Taliban militants held at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Hagel denied that the United States had negotiated with terrorists, as Republican critics are charging, and defended the trade as an effort to save Bergdahl´s life.

"This is a guy who probably went through hell for the last five years," he said. "And let´s focus on getting him well and getting him back with his family."

PM consults officials for restoring peace talks with Taliban

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has held consultations with some important officials in connection with restoring the peace talks with the Taliban.
According to the sources, despite the military operation in North Waziristan and other agencies against the militants, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan are in favour of restoring the process of the peace dialogue with the Taliban.

The sources in the capital said that two days before the meeting of political and military leadership on Friday, the prime minister had held talks with former ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand regarding the restoration of peace talks with the Taliban.

The sources said that the government still wanted to create an atmosphere for talks so that durable peace could be established in the troubled areas.

When The News contacted Rustam Shah in this regard, he said that the prime minister was hopeful and the process was moving forward positively.

TTP split a major dividend of talks policy

ISLAMABAD: The parting of ways by the Khan Said alias Sajna faction of the Mehsud militants with the TTP is considered as one of the major dividends of the government’s dialogue policy, which right from the beginning created a rift between the pro-talks and anti-talks militants.

Sajna was one of those leading Taliban commanders who even last year had conveyed to Ulema, involved in the first round of the talks process that ended with the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud by a US drone, his willingness to engage for peaceful settlement of the issue.

The Sajna-led Mehsud militants have enormous influence in South Waziristan and now there are growing chances of a possible agreement between the government and the Sajna group. In South Waziristan, the military already has an agreement with the Mullah Nazir Group — known as “good Taliban”. In such a scenario, South Waziristan would become peaceful.

Sources engaged in the dialogue process during the last several months hope that the North Waziristan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadar group could play an important role in getting a peace deal signed between the government and the Sajna group. Like the Mullah Nazir group in South Waziristan, the military already has a peace agreement with Hafiz Gul Bahadar group in North Waziristan. The Gul Bahadar group is also bracketed in the category of ‘good Taliban’.

Government sources are excited at the move of Sajna-led Mehsud militants. They insist that they would talk to all those who want to talk to attain the objective of peace. These sources said there are some other Taliban factions, who are also in contact with the government for a dialogue.

Former Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq had announced on Wednesday the Mehsud militants’ decision to part ways with the TTP. “It is unfortunate that the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban has fallen into the hands of naive persons and conspirators bringing a bad name to the Jihadi organisations in the world,” Azam Tariq was quoted as saying by the media.

“After days of thinking and discussions, we finally decided to abandon Mullah Fazlullah and the people around him. The majority of members of our Taliban network have been involved in un-Islamic activities. They are engaged in the killing of innocent people, kidnapping for ransom and extortions which had never been the objectives of our slain leader Baitullah Mehsud,” said Azam Tariq, a former schoolteacher.

Azam Tariq had said his new group will operate under the banner of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan-South Waziristan Agency (TTP-SWA), and added that Khalid Mehsud, whose real name is Khan Said alias Sajna, would lead the new faction of the Mehsud Taliban.

The government-Taliban dialogue process was facing suspension during the last several weeks because of the infighting within the TTP, which led to the most serious setback to the Taliban unity since the TTP’s creation.It is said that Mullah Fazlullah, who is presently leading the TTP, is not acceptable to military authorities for his “crimes” whereas not much opposition is there for Sajna, who has been a known supporter of the talks process.

Even on Wednesday, Azam Tariq told the media: “We wanted to find out a peaceful solution to the conflict and favoured the peace talks with the government. However, those Pakistani Taliban sitting in Afghanistan and running the group from across the border opposed the talks.”

This situation is encouraging for those who have been supporting the dialogue process. While there were many who always disapproved the talks process, it was a foreseen conclusion that the dialogue process would divide the Taliban while the military operation would unite them.

Differences over talks

 

PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday suffered a huge setback after a powerful faction of the Mehsud militants parted ways with the mainstream Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and formed their own independent organisation.
“It is unfortunate that the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban has fallen into the hands of naive persons and conspirators bringing a bad name to the Jihadi organisations in the world,” said Azam Tariq, a former Taliban spokesman and one of the leaders of the newly-formed faction.

Referring to the TTP, Azam Tariq argued that most of its people had forgotten the spirit of Jihad and were involved in kidnapping for ransom and killing of innocent people.Talking to The News on phone from somewhere in North Waziristan, he said they had used all options to save the militant network from disintegration but in vain.

“After days of thinking and discussions, we finally decided to abandon Mullah Fazlullah and the people around him. The majority members of our Taliban network have been involved in un-Islamic activities. They are engaged in the killing of innocent people, kidnapping for ransom and extortions which had never been the objectives of our slain leader Baitullah Mehsud,” said Azam Tariq, a former schoolteacher.

Azam Tariq, whose real name is Raees Khan, said his new group will operate under the banner of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan-South Waziristan Agency (TTP-SWA).He said Khalid Mehsud, whose real name is Khan Said alias Sajna, would lead the new faction of the Mehsud Taliban.

He said all the militants in Pakistan’s troubled South Waziristan would work under Khalid Mehsud’s leadership.Khalid Mehsud belongs to the Shabikhel sub-section of the Mehsud tribe. He attended a college and studied up to the intermediate level. Later, Khalid Mehsud diverted his attention towards religious education and obtained a degree in religious studies.

Azam Tariq said they would work under the leadership of Mulla Mohammad Omar, the supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban.“The prime purpose of our organisation is to fight alongside the Afghan Taliban under the leadership of Mulla Mohammad Omar against the foreign forces in Afghanistan,” he insisted.

The Taliban commander said it was on December 14, 2007 when all the militant factions in the country joined hands and formed one organisation, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and had pledged to work for the enforcement of Islamic rule in the country.

He felt that after Mullah Fazlullah, also known as Mullah Radio for running an FM radio channel and using it to impart religious teaching in Swat, became the leader of the TTP for all of Pakistan, he forgot the mission of Baitullah Mehsud and started killing innocent people and organising kidnappings for ransom.

However, Azam Tariq didn’t agree when reminded about the general impression that the tenures of Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud proved the most violent in Pakistan’s history in terms of suicide bombings and killing of fellow Muslims in the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that differences between the Pakistani Taliban leadership emerged over the recent peace talks with the government.Asked if the talks between the government and the TTP had caused a rift among them, he said they would prefer the peace talks with the government if seriousness and sincerity was shown.

“We wanted to find out a peaceful solution to the conflict and favoured the peace talks with the government. However, those Pakistani Taliban sitting in Afghanistan and running the group from across the border opposed the talks,” Azam Tariq said, adding that there were several reasons that led to differences among them.

The Taliban suffered a setback when two major factions of Mehsud tribal militants started fighting over the leadership of the organisation for South Waziristan.“One militant faction led by commander Khan Said and another by commander Sheharyar killed dozens of people from each other’s factions over the status of the Ameer or leader of the faction in South Waziristan. Fazlullah took notice and removed Khan Said and appointed Maulvi Omar Khalid Khurasani in his place. This aroused strong criticism from the Mehsud Taliban who rejected the decision,” said an insider of the militant group.

Pakistani security officials, on the other hand, felt that frequent military operations had weakened the Taliban and they had no other option now except to lay down arms.The Afghanistan-based Mullah Fazlullah and his men didn’t react to the allegations of Azam Tariq and the decision by the Khan Said Sajna group to quit the TTP.

One of his senior commanders, however, said that differences between Fazlullah and Khan Said Sajna were quite serious and there was no place for Sajna and his men in the network.“Mullah Fazlullah would have to quit if Sajna and his men weren’t expelled from the network. They were constantly violating the TTP principles despite repeated warnings,” the Taliban commander said.

Pleading anonymity, he said the TTP had already suspended four members of the Sajna group from the high council, political council, disciplinary council and justice council and sacked other people of the group from their positions.

He claimed that senior members of the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda made sincere attempts to remove the mistrust and resolve the issues among the TTP faction leaders, but it didn’t work out.

He said an emergency meeting of the TTP Shura was convened on Wednesday to consider how to respond to the serious allegations made by Azam Tariq against the Taliban leadership. “The Shura didn’t reach any conclusion and it is now expected to meet tomorrow (Thursday),” he added.

Pakistan, India agree to resume talks

 

NEW DELHI: Pakistan and India agreed to restore peace talks and enhance trade contacts in an ice-breaking meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on Tuesday.
India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to crack down on militant groups while stressing his desire for closer economic ties, the Indian foreign ministry said.

Modi “underlined our concerns related to terrorism” to Nawaz Sharif during landmark talks in New Delhi on the first day of his term in office, said Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh.

“We want peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan. However, for such relations to proceed it is important that terror and violence is brought to an end,” Singh told reporters after the meeting. She added that Modi conveyed the message that Islamabad must “abide by its commitment to prevent its territory and territory it controls being used to stage terror attacks on India”.

Modi also underlined his desire to improve commercial ties, Singh said.“There was discussion on trade and we noted that we were ready to fully normalise trade and economic relations. Both prime ministers expressed their interest in having this done as early as possible,” Singh said.

Modi has also accepted Nawaz Sharif’s invitation to visit Pakistan, but no dates have been revealed.Nawaz Sharif said he saw the talks as an “historic opportunity” to improve ties between the South Asian countries. “We should rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued us for decades. Consequently, it was important for us to work together for peace, progress and prosperity,” he told reporters after the meeting.But he said he also told Modi that engaging in “accusations and counter-accusations would be counter-productive.”

The prime minister said he urged his Indian counterpart for working together to change confrontation into cooperation for the good of the people of the two countries.The prime minister said he had a good and constructive meeting with Narendra Modi. It was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere.He said they agreed that the New Delhi meeting should be a historic opportunity for both the countries.

Nawaz Sharif said he pointed out to his Indian counterpart that both of them were beginning their respective tenure with a clear mandate. “This provides us an opportunity of meeting hopes and aspirations of our people.”

He hoped that the two leaders would succeed in turning a new page in bilateral relations so as to focus on wellbeing and welfare of the people.

The prime minister said he recalled to the Indian leader that he invited then Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee to Lahore in February 1999 and that he intended to pick up the threads from where it was left at that time.

He said he urged the Indian PM to work together to rid the region of instability and insecurity that has plagued the region for decades. “We should, therefore, work together for peace, progress and prosperity,” he said, adding, “We owe it to our people to overcome the legacy of mistrust and misgivings.”

Nawaz said during the meeting both the sides agreed that common objective can be facilitated by greater people to people exchanges at all levels.

He said Prime Minister Modi warmly reciprocated his sentiments and remarked that the visit of the Pakistan prime minister was seen as a special gesture by people of India.

Nawaz said he agreed with Modi that foreign secretaries of the two countries would be meeting soon to review and carry forward bilateral agenda in the spirit of New Delhi meeting of the prime ministers.

The prime minister said he also had warm and friendly exchanges during meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.

He said he was leaving New Delhi with a strong sense that the leadership and people of the two countries share desire and mutual commitment to carry forward the relationship for the larger good of people of the both countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at Hyderabad House. Both the leaders exchanged warm and friendly views.

During the meeting, Nawaz Sharif said the leadership and the people of Pakistan and India share desire and mutual commitment to carry forward the relationship for the larger good of our people.

The prime minister also held a meeting with former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and discussed bilateral relations with him.

Talking to Vajpayee, Nawaz Sharif said his government is reinitiating the dialogue process with India to improve its relations with its neighbours.

He said Pakistan has always stood for promoting peace, stability, progress in the region, therefore it intends to move forward the dialogue process with India with a view to resolve all outstanding issues and to live in peace and harmony with neighbours.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also paid a visit to historic Jamia Masjid of New Delhi.He was accompanied by Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit. The PM visited different parts of the mosque built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Imam of the mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari received the prime minister on his arrival at the mosque.

In his statement, Syed Ahmad Bukhari said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is desirous of settlement of Pak-India disputes peacefully. Syed Ahmed Bukhari said Nawaz has come to India with a positive thinking.The prime minister also visited Red Fort in Delhi and took round of different parts of the fort.

Army tells Nawaz no more talks with Taliban, takes matter in its own hands

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army chief General Raheel has told Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the time for talks with Taliban was over.
“We will avenge the blood of every last soldier. Talks or no talks, the army will retaliate,” one military official told the influential Reuters news agency in Islamabad.The Reuters report, filed by reporter Mehreen Z Malik and edited by Mike Collett-White and Maria Golovnina, gave a revealing picture of civil-military relations in the Nawaz government.

The report said: “At Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s palatial offices in Islamabad this week, the army chief sat down to deliver the head of government a message he did not want to hear: The time for talks with the troublesome Pakistani Taliban was over.”

Nawaz Sharif came to power a year ago promising to find a peaceful settlement with the Islamist militant group, but as round after round of talks failed, the powerful armed forces favoured a military solution.

Their patience finally ran out and, late on Tuesday afternoon, during a tense meeting, the army effectively declared it would override a crucial plank of the government’s strategy and take matters into its own hands.

“The army chief and other military officers in the room were clear on the military’s policy: the last man, the last bullet,” a government insider with first-hand knowledge of the meeting told Reuters.

Asked to sum up the message General Raheel Sharif wanted to convey at the gathering, he added: “The time for talk is over.”The next day, Pakistani forces launched rare air strikes against the militants holed up in the remote, lawless tribal belt near the Afghan border. It is not clear whether Sharif authorised the operation.

On Thursday, they backed that up with the first major ground offensive against the Taliban there, undermining Nawaz Sharif’s year-long attempt to end a bloody insurgency across the country through peaceful means.

Disagreement over the militant threat is the latest row to flare up between the government and military, and relations between the two branches of power are at their lowest ebb for years, according to government officials.

The government did say talks with the Taliban would go on. “We will talk with those who are ready for it and the (military) operation is being launched against those who are not ready to come to the negotiating table,” spokesman Pervaiz Rashid told local media on Thursday.But the operations put the military, which has a long record of intervening in civilian rule through plots and coups, firmly back at the centre of Pakistan’s security policy.

The balance of power is shifting at a time when foreign troops are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan and arch-rival India has just elected a Hindu nationalist leader promising to be more assertive on the international stage.“This is the clearest signal yet that the army will dictate its terms now,” a member of Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet said.

The Pakistani Taliban, as distinct from the Afghan Taliban which is actively targeting the Nato forces in Afghanistan, is believed to be behind attacks on Pakistani soldiers and civilians that have killed thousands in recent years.

The Pakistan Army has distinguished between “good” Taliban like the feared Haqqani network — who do not attack Pakistani security forces but fight in Afghanistan — and “bad” Taliban, indigenous Pakistani militants who are seeking to create an Islamic state.

While Pakistan’s military wants to go after the “bad” Taliban, it has, despite pressure from Washington, largely avoided taking on groups who launch attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan from Pakistan’s North Waziristan region.

Prompting the latest intervention, the Pakistani Taliban have become increasingly bold, striking the army in tribal areas including a recent battle in which an army major died. Earlier this month, nine soldiers were killed in an explosion near the Afghan border.“We will avenge the blood of every last soldier. Talks or no talks, the army will retaliate,” said one military official, who, like most others interviewed for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.

The army has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history.Nawaz Sharif himself was toppled by the army in 1999 during his previous tenure as prime minister.But, humiliated after a secret 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil, the army stood back from politics and supported the last year’s first democratic transition of power which brought Nawaz Sharif back to office.

Sharif manoeuvred carefully, hand picking a new army chief and trying to forge a partnership with the military in the early days of his tenure, but the overtures had little lasting impact.

There are other signs of civil-military discord.Sharif came to power promising to rebuild relations with India, but has been under pressure to toughen his stance from hardliners at home, particularly within the army.The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the still-disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

Nawaz Sharif’s policies towards India have been heavily scrutinised; some in the army justify its hefty budget by pointing to — and, critics say, playing up — the potential threat from India.

And despite signs the military has become more amenable to overtures from its old foe than in the past, a trade deal pushed by the prime minister and aimed at improving ties with India was cancelled at the last minute after pressure from the army, top government officials said.

Sharif now faces a dilemma over whether to accept an invitation by Indian Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to attend his inauguration next week.The army is also bitter about the trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who ousted Sharif from power in 1999 and was arrested after he returned to Pakistan to take part in last year’s election.

Ties with Afghanistan have never been easy, but some officials believe the army wants to torpedo the government’s relationship with a future Kabul administration, risking deterioration in regional security as Nato troops prepare to leave this year.

Generals have jealously guarded the right to dictate policy on Afghanistan, seeing friendly guerrilla groups as “assets” to blunt the influence of India there.

Though simmering under the surface, tensions between the government and the army spilled into the open last month when a popular journalist was shot by unknown gunmen and his channel, Geo News, blamed the army’s powerful spy agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Public criticism of the shadowy ISI is almost unheard of in Pakistan. In a rare public response, the army demanded that Geo News, the country’s most-watched news channel, be shut down.The government’s media regulator has since resisted the army’s demands to cancel the channel’s license, which the military sees as a direct sign of defiance.

“Everyone was looking out to see how the government would treat the army in this crisis — as a friend or foe?” said a senior military official. “But the government allowed this to become a free-for-all, army-hunting season.”

For Sharif, buckling under military pressure is a major risk. “This is not about one TV channel but about freedom of expression and about living in a democracy,” Rashid said. “We should live and let live.”But despite putting on a brave front, officials say the government is feeling under siege.

“Never in the last year has the government felt weaker or more vulnerable,” one of Sharif’s key economic advisers said. “Now every time we have to take a major decision, on India, on Afghanistan, we will have to think ‘How will the army react?’”

A serving general said the army chief would always pick the “institution over the Constitution if push comes to shove,” adding: “As a society and a state, we have to avoid a context in which the army is pushed to do something it doesn’t want to.”

Pakistan wants talks with new Indian, Afghan govts: Nawaz

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the government wants negotiations with the newly-elected governments of India and Afghanistan. He expressed the willingness to move forward, on equal terms, on issues that needed to be resolved with the two states. He also stressed upon the need for progress on relations with these countries.
The prime minister said this while presiding over a high-level meeting with regard to national security featuring the political and military leadership of the country at the PM House on Tuesday.

In the meeting, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, PM’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, DG ISI Lt General Zaheerul Islam, Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Ashfaq Nadeem, DGMO Major Gen Amir Riaz, Secretary to PM Javaid Aslam and Additional Secretary of PM Office Fawad Hassan Fawad were also present.

The premier further said that the government wanted friendly and better relations with all the neighbouring countries. In the meeting, the government-Taliban talks, Indian elections and the scenario in Afghanistan were discussed.

General Raheel Sharif briefed the prime minister on his recent visit to Kabul and his discussions on border coordination and security for the second phase of the Afghan presidential elections.

He also briefed the participants on the Pak-Afghan border coordination, withdrawal of Nato troops and security of second phase of Afghanistan presidential elections.The meeting also looked into the law and order situation in Karachi and Balochistan. The DG ISI apprised the meeting of relevant developments and the actions taken against the banned outfits.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan briefed the participants of the meeting on progress with relevance to the talks between leaders of the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.According to news agencies, the prime minister said that all the state institutions should unite to work on internal issues impacting the country.

Taliban ready to continue talks Prof Ibrahim says they are serious

 

PESHAWAR/KHANPUR: A member of the Taliban negotiations team, Professor Ibrahim, has said the statement given by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was extraordinary but the Taliban are ready to continue peace talks even in the prevailing situation.
“We are serious people and we are holding talks with all seriousness. The statement of Chaudhry Nisar is extraordinary but we are ready to continue the talks process in the prevailing situation as well,” Prof Ibrahim said in his media interviews on Saturday.

“There are certain hiccups on the way to talks but we believe these will be removed soon. We have already said we are facing difficulties in the talks process, but the Taliban negotiations team was sincere in holding talks,” he said.

About the disbandment of the government negotiations team, he said the powers of the government negotiations team rested with the government. “Earlier a committee was formed and was abolished later but the Taliban committee will continue to make sure that talks bear fruit in this situation too,” he said.

He said that the timing and venue for the next meeting has not been finalised. Prof Ibrahim said contacts with the Taliban leadership are under way.

It may be recalled that interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had said earlier in his statement that the government could not continue the talks process with the Taliban in the present situation.

Talks can’t go ahead in tug-of-war like situation: Nisar

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday that the government-Taliban talks could not move ahead in an environment of tug-of-war.
Talking to media persons at the Nadra headquarters after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on setting up of citizen facilitation centres in the province, Chaudhry Nisar said the government was sincere in the dialogue process and there was no delay on its part. “But in such an atmosphere of tension, stress and strain when everybody is busy in political point-scoring, results of negotiations between the government and the Taliban could not be obtained,” the minister said. He said the dialogue process with the Taliban could not move ahead in an atmosphere of contradictory statements.

The minister said he would present a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his return from London that in view of the present situation, the dialogue process could not be taken forward.

“It will be difficult to continue the process of negotiations in the situation of polarisation generated unfortunately by the people who are taking part in the reconciliation process,” the minister maintained, adding that they should express their point of view in the meeting, not in TV talk shows or public meetings.

Chaudhry Nisar said the dialogue process was the only way to handle these matters and there had been positive progress, which led to reduction in violence. He said due to the whole process, contacts had been established with the Taliban and the government came to know about their thinking, views and demands.

He said the date for the next meeting was to be fixed by the other side. He said there was no hitch from the government or the military. The minister said he wanted that the next meeting of the Taliban-government committees should be decisive and both sides should put their complete agendas on the table.

“Possibly on Monday, I will submit a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to inform himstakeholders, were forcefully criticising the dialogue process. “At the start, there were people who were opposed to the dialogue process and we listened to them and tolerated them as it is part of democracy,” he said, adding that now even those who were supporters of dialogue were showing contradiction in their stance.

The minister said the dialogue process was a sensitive and complex issue but every day contradictory statements were being made about it. “Those who were supposed to assist in the dialogue process were making one statement in indoor meeting and saying something else at the public meetings,” Nisar said.

The minister emphatically stated that there has never been any deadlock in the peace process.Responding to a question, the minister said non-combatant Taliban prisoners were released in consultation with military authorities, adding that there was no conflict between the government and military leadership. “There is no hurdle from the government or the army in the dialogue process. The government is serious in this matter and there is no delay from its side,” he maintained.

He said it had been said by certain quarters on the issue of release of prisoners that the army was not supporting it. He explained that the prisoners who were released earlier were in the control of army, which decided who were non-combatants and should be released.

To a question about civil-military relations, he said the situation was normal at present as it was in the past.Earlier, speaking on the occasion of signing ceremony of MoU, the minister said Nadra earned a profit of Rs1.3 billion in three months and it had been put in the right direction through many changes in the last eight months.

He said more than 350 ghost employees were identified, adding that now transparent online tests would be held for posting of Nadra employees abroad.He said in the past such postings were made in violation of rules and on the basis of nepotism.The minister said the new Nadra chairman would be appointed by a committee according to the relevant ordinance

Talks process with Taliban can’t be prolonged

 

ISLAMABAD:A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed the view that the dialogue process with the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) could not be prolonged indefinitely as the government wanted result-oriented talks with the Taliban.
The prime minister also said, “the role of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in national security and defence is highly commendable.”The meeting held at the PM House was attended by Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, DG ISI Lt General Zaheerul Islam, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security Tariq Fatmi. The civil and military leadership took stock of the overall national security situation in the country.

The prime minister expressed his displeasure over the recent terrorist attacks and decided to take affective action against those involved in such incidents.The meeting also reviewed the overall internal and external security situation and the ongoing dialogue process with the proscribed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to bring peace. The participants of the meeting reiterated their determination to deal with the menace of terrorism.

The prime minister said that all the institutions would continue to work in synergy for the protection of the life and property of the masses. He appreciated the role of the security institutions, particularly the ISI, in ensuring security and peace in the country.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan apprised the meeting of the talks with the Taliban and said the Taliban committee had been asked to set a clear direction for result-oriented dialogue as the dialogue process could not be prolonged indefinitly. He said it was time to make the ongoing dialogue process productive.

The meeting further emphasised that all-encompassing talks would be conducted with the Taliban Shura and it was high time that the dialogue process achieved tangible results. The interior minister said that the Taliban committee had also been asked to discuss the whole agenda of the Taliban Shura.

There was consensus among all the participants that the dialogue process with the Taliban should have a concise agenda and dialogue should take place under well defined parameters. Serious apprehensions were expressed over the recent terrorism incidents and the commitment to take effective action against the perpetrators behind such incidents was reiterated.

The DG ISI briefed the prime minister on the measures taken after the recent terrorist attacks and about the overall security situation of the country. The DG ISI assured the meeting that those involved in the recent terrorism incidents would be brought to justice and their identity revealed to the people of Pakistan.

TTP seeks two days to decide venue for direct talks

 

PESHAWAR: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has asked for two days to decide the venue of a meeting between the TTP Shura and the government committee, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.
The TTP made this request after the Taliban peace talks committee contacted the TTP Shura. Member TTP negotiation committee Professor Mohammad Ibrahim confirmed the TTP request.

Talking to mediapersons, Professor Ibrahim hoped that the ongoing peace talks between the government and the TTP would yield positive results.

On April 23, government negotiators and Taliban intermediaries had agreed to form a subcommittee to look into reservations from both sides in an effort to keep the nascent peace dialogue process. This was done at a joint meeting of the government negotiating team and the TTP’s intermediary committee.

The government has already made it clear that it would not be possible to move ahead with talks in the absence of a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the federal government has decided to release 13 more non-combatant Taliban prisoners in an apparent bid to get the peace talks back on track. The Taliban too have hinted at releasing some of the hostages, sources told the private TV channel.

Palestinians meet on peace talks, reconciliation

RAMALLAH: A key Palestine Liberation Organisation body began on Saturday talks after Israel pulled out of US-sponsored peace negotiations in response to a Palestinian reconciliation deal with Hamas.

The meeting of the PLO´s Central Council at its West Bank headquarters in Ramallah started shortly after 0800 GMT.A member of the Islamist movement Hamas was attending the meeting and Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas was expected to deliver a speech during the opening session.

The council had called the meeting over the crisis in negotiations, but will also discuss the deal struck Wednesday between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, a key PLO faction.

Israel suspended the peace talks over the deal, saying it would have no dealings with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, which is pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state.

Israel and the United States had been hoping to extend the faltering peace talks beyond their April 29 deadline, but the efforts hit a wall last month when Israel refused to release a final batch of Palestinian prisoners.

The Palestinians retaliated by applying to adhere to 15 international treaties and then Abbas, who also heads the PLO and Fatah, listed conditions for extending the talks beyond the deadline.

Abbas said he would agree to an extension if Israel freezes settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, frees the prisoners and begins discussions on the future borders of a promised Palestinian state.

Israel dismissed the conditions.

In the unity deal penned this week, the rival Palestinian factions agreed to bury their differences and establish a "national consensus" government under Abbas within weeks.

The move infuriated Israel, which said it would "not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terror organisation that calls for the destruction of Israel".

Israel also vowed unspecified "measures" in response.

On Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US efforts to broker a peace deal had not failed, but were currently in a "holding period" as Palestinians and Israelis decide their next move.

She noted Abbas had insisted that any government formed with Hamas backing would "represent his policies, and that includes recognition of Israel, commitment to non-violence, adherence to prior agreements and commitment to peaceful negotiations toward a two-state solution."

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah told Abbas on Friday that he would resign if the president deemed it necessary for the formation of the new unity government, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Kerry urges compromises to advance Mideast peace talks

 

AP US Secretary of State John Kerry jokes with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende during their meeting on Thursday, at the State Department in Washington.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday called on the Israelis and Palestinians to make compromises so as to forward the stalled peace talks.

The fresh appeal from the top American envoy came as Israel’s security cabinet decided to suspend the negotiations in response to ongoing reconciliation efforts between rival Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas, Xinhua reported.

“There’s always a way forward, but leaders have to make the compromises necessary to do that,” Mr. Kerry told reporters before meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende at the State Department.

“We may see a way forward, but if they’re not willing to make the compromises necessary, it becomes very elusive.”

Washington is trying its best to extend the negotiations that were restarted in late July last year and supposed to end by April 29 with an agreement on all the core issues like security, border, the status of Jerusalem and refugees.

The talks came to a deadlock after Israel refused to release by late March last group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as agreed, and the Palestinians responded by renewing their efforts to apply for joining 15 UN agencies and conventions.

Fatah and Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, announced a reconciliation deal on Wednesday, in which they agreed to start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks, and hold elections within six months after the formation of the unity government.

The deal has drawn rebuke from Israel and the US as both have branded Hamas a terrorist organisation.

“We will never give up our hope or our commitment for the possibilities of peace,” Mr. Kerry said. “We believe it is the only way to go. But right now, obviously, it’s at a very difficult point, and the leaders themselves have to make decisions.”

Mr. Kerry spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the phone on Thursday, reiterating US principles regarding a Palestinian government, namely commitment to non-violence, recognition of the State of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements reached with Israel, State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki said.

“Our position as the United States government, outside of the peace process, has long been that any unified government would have to abide by these principles,” Ms. Psaki told reporters at a regular press briefing.

She said Mr. Kerry and Mr. Abbas also discussed ongoing efforts to extend the negotiations, and the US team led by special envoy Martin Indyk “remains on the ground” and “in close touch” with both parties.

Govt, Taliban committees agree to continue talks

ISLAMABAD: The government and the Taliban negotiating committees on Wednesday agreed to continue the peace talks.
Member of the Taliban committee Professor Ibrahim Khan, talking to APP, after a joint meeting of both the committees here, said the direct meeting between the government negotiation committee and Taliban Shura would be held in a week’s time.

He said all issues would be discussed in the direct meeting.Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan presided over the meeting.After the meeting, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) chief and head of the Taliban talks committee Maulana Samiul Haq said both the committees had expressed satisfaction over the peace process despite certain reservations.

He said they reviewed the prospects and hurdles in the peace process. “The Taliban committee will continue efforts to make the dialogue process successful,” he added.

Maulana Sami said the committee would contact the Taliban Shura to finalise arrangements for direct talks. He said he would urge the Taliban to extend their ceasefire to take the dialogue process forward.

The Taliban had ended their 40-day ceasefire on April 10 after they claimed the government had failed to make progress on their two initial demands – release of non-combatant prisoners and vacating some areas in South Waziristan for future talks.

The Taliban had also alleged that the government had continued arrests and “extrajudicial killings” of their prisoners.Maulana Sami said the negotiators will soon contact the Taliban political council to revive the dialogue process. He said the Taliban intermediaries were now convinced that the political and military leadership was on the same page on the talks.

Asked to why the talks have not made any progress so far, he said there are complaints and reservations on both sides, adding that there was a need to bridge the trust gap.He said that the committees reviewed the difficulties in the dialogue and agreed to take steps to remove misunderstandings and speed up the process.

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Ch Nisar called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed the ongoing dialogue process.Sources said the two leaders, besides exchanging views over law and order situation, discussed the next phase of direct talks with the Taliban militants. The prime minister directed that the peace talks be continued from the point where they were stalled.

Ceasefire ends, talks process to go on: TTP

 

 PESHAWAR: Announcing to end the 40-day ceasefire, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday said they would not extend the truce and threatened to give a ‘tit-for-tat’ response to the government if it used force against them.
However, the Taliban expressed willingness to continue the peace talks with the government if it showed sincerity and seriousness.“It’s not good news for the common people as they may have been expecting something different from us. But we are forced to end our 40-day ceasefire as the government, despite having a ceasefire, continued violence against our people in the whole country,” said Shahidullah Shahid, the spokesman for the outlawed TTP.

He called this correspondent from somewhere in the tribal areas, along the Afghan border, and argued that the decision to end the ceasefire with the government was made in the central Shura of the Taliban on Wednesday.

“You may know that majority of our people were not happy when we announced the ceasefire initially on March 1, 2014. But despite their opposition, we followed the ceasefire and in return we made some demands from the government such as release of civilian prisoners, ending the crackdown on our people and stopping torture on Taliban prisoners in jails and secret detention centres. And the last demand was about a peace zone for us within thetribal areas,” the Taliban spokesman explained.

However, he alleged that the government and its law enforcement agencies had violated the ceasefire and accelerated actions against their people all over the country.“During this 40-day ceasefire, the government forces and agencies killed our 50 people during raids and in jails and threw out their bodies. Most of our people were arrested and tortured to death in Karachi and others were taken from the Punjab,” the Taliban spokesman claimed.

He said they were not expecting any crackdown in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, but claimed the police and secret agencies conducted operations against them in Swabi and Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Kurram and Orakzai regions in the tribal areas.

“Only in the Kurram Agency, they arrested 107 civilians during the ceasefire for suspicion of having links with the Taliban. Seven tribesmen disappeared from one home in Thana village in Kurram Agency for providing stay to me at their home. I can swear that I have not been able to go to Kurram during the past one year. These are the issues that made it difficult for us to prolong the ceasefire with the government,” Shahidullah Shahid recalled.

He said it was difficult for them to convince all the TTP factions on the ceasefire as, according to him, some of them were not willing to cease fighting against the government.“Besides our own people, we even approached other militant groups in the country and requested them to stop the attacks during their ceasefire. Though they weren’t part of us, they cooperated and honoured our ceasefire,” the TTP spokesman said.

Shahidullah said they had extended the ceasefire till April 10 and wanted to see if the government would come up with practical steps.“The Shura members discussed all these issues in detail and found that the government didn’t accept even a single demand of the Taliban during the 40 days of ceasefire, then why they would extend it,” he said. The spokesman said they were free now and would give a ‘tit-for-tat’ response in case the government used force anywhere in the country.

“Previously our hands were tied due to the ceasefire but now there is no restriction on us,” he said.Even that the ceasefire no longer existed, Shahidullah said, the Taliban Shura had decided to continue the peace talks with the government if it was sincere and serious.

“We felt during these 40 days that the government is powerless in making important decisions. The power of making decisions lies somewhere else,” the Taliban spokesman noted.The Taliban had given a list of 800 prisoners, whom the militants claimed were all civilians.

They wanted the government to release them from jails and secret cells of security agencies. They also wanted to have a separate place in Fata, especially in South Waziristan, without the presence of security forces, where they could live along with their families and meet the government negotiation committee.

The Taliban had disowned the 19 civilian prisoners whom the security forces had freed in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, on March 31.Omar Khalid Khurasani, a feared militant commander and the TTP leader in Mohmand tribal region, also issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it was the unanimous decision of the Shura to end the ceasefire.

Omar Khalid Khurasani had earlier announced that his faction would not extend the ceasefire and threatened to launch fresh attacks on the government and its installations when one-month-long ceasefire expired on March 31.

Pakistan to resume talks with new Indian government: Basit

NEW DELHI: High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said on Sunday that Pakistan would hold talks with the new Indian government for the resolution of issues and disputes between the two countries for lasting peace.

Talking to Indian media, the high commissioner said that Pakistan is looking forward to engaging with India's next prime minister and any government which comes to power, and hopes the two countries do not lose much time in this process.

Basit expressed hope that the upcoming Indian government would give a positive response to Nawaz Sharif's vision and would help remove all irritants on permanent basis.

"Pakistan looks forward to the point when a new government takes over in India and, obviously, it is not for us to say who should be the next prime minister or the next government," Basit said.

"It is for the people of India to decide. We would be willingly and readily engaging with that government. At the same time, we hope that we will not lose much time in this process.” (Monitoring Desk)