Summary Nisar says terror attacks and drone attack on Mehsud spoiled all the hard work done for peace talks.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Addressing the National Assembly session on Monday Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan briefed the MNAs on the process of peace talks with the Taliban.
He said the mandate given to government by the APC had been jeopardized after the drone attack on Hakimuallah Mehsud.
He said drone attacks were creating enormous problems for Pakistan but United States was not realizing it.
Dispelling the accusation that the government was proceeding with talks with Taliban at a very slow pace, Nisar described in detail the whole process of talks.
He said government had to change the track of talks after two weeks of efforts due to certain incidents.
The killing of top two army officials and Peshawar church attack changed the whole scenario and process of talks had to be started anew.
“You cannot hold talks with dead bodies in your courtyard,” he said.
Nisar said a delegation of Ulema was all set to meet Taliban leaders on Sunday but the Friday drone attacks changed the whole situation.
He invited the leaders of political parties to give their suggestions in the light of the new developments.
The interior minster urged the political forced to sit together and formulate policy anew.
He said that political leadership of the country had mandated the government to engage the militants in talks in September this year.
He, however, said that the government took seven-week time after the all parties conference to ponder the issue of negotiations with the Taliban before setting up a panel of Ulema to open talks with the militants.
Nisar said that as many as 37 splinter groups of Taliban were operating in Pakistan of which 14 to 17 were functional.
“We have tried to hold talks under an umbrella in the first phase,” he said and added the government changed the track of talks in the first two weeks after APC during which the process had moved forward to some extent.
“We inform the Taliban of sending our delegation consisting of Ulema. But, you can’t hold talks when a body is lying in your courtyard,” he said in reference to the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud, former chief of the most feared terror outfit.
The interior minister said that the Pakistan Army had extended full cooperation in peace negotiations.
Chaudhry Nisar said the government will continue its efforts to continue the dialogue process with Taliban in positive manner in consultations with the political leadership.
He said the government wants to keep the dialogue process alive in some fashion. He said the government‚ Pakistan Armed Forces and Taliban will not be responsible if the US again sabotages the peace process.
Ch Nisar said as per decision of All Parties Conference on 9th September this year and the government s effort‚ a three member Ulema delegation was scheduled to take off for dialogue with the Taliban but the US drone attack sabotaged this process.
