Government rejects Taliban demands

ISLAMABAD – The government has rejected Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s demand for conditional truce.Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government, in response to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suggestion, said Thursday any negotiations will be held under the ambit of the law and constitution.“All resources will be utilised to eliminate terrorism from the country,” said Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, talking to reporters. He said PPP government had been engaged in dialogue in past and would continue this practice in future. “We want to solve country’s problem through dialogue,” he added. To a question, he said in past they had also made an agreement with a TTP commander.  It is relevant to mention here that the TTP has made a conditional ceasefire offer to Pakistan Government, which envisages an end to Pakistan’s participation in the Afghan war and the reshaping of the Constitution and foreign policy according to the Quran and Sunnah. Agencies add: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that Taliban leader Amir Muawiya, by offering conditional truce‚ had actually tried to dictate the government which is unacceptable.Talking to reporters in Sukkur‚ the minister said that enemies ‘want to derail democratic system in the country but their nefarious plans will be foiled.The interior minister said “Those who are promoting the agenda of others will be arrested.” Earlier, Pakistani Taliban have outlined conditions for a ceasefire, including the adoption of Islamic law and a break with the United States, a spokesman said Thursday, an offer a senior government official described as ‘preposterous’.The Taliban, in a letter, also demanded that Pakistan stop its involvement in the war pitting Afghan insurgents against the Kabul government and refocus on a war of ‘revenge’ against India.The letter from Taliban spokesman Amir Muawiya comes as the focus in Afghanistan shifts from a military push by Nato troops to potential peace talks and amid speculation of a rift between top Pakistan Taliban leaders.Military officials told Reuters last month that Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud had lost operational command to his deputy, Waliur Rehman, who is considered to be more open to reconciliation with the Pakistani government. The Taliban deny Mehsud has lost command.“They are a bunch of criminals. This is not the Afghan Taliban. They are not open to talks,” said one senior government official who called the Pakistan Taliban offer “preposterous”.“No one can take such an offer or terms seriously. The TTP is not a proper entity, certainly not one any government can negotiate with.”The ceasefire conditions, confirmed by spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan in a phone call to Reuters, said Pakistan should rewrite its laws and constitution according to Islamic law.“We are ready to cease fire with Pakistan as long as they meet our demands, that an Islamic system should be put into place, they should fix their foreign policy and stop agreeing to American’s demands,” Ihsan said.“The big mistake (the government) made is that they fought America’s war in Afghanistan and brought it into Pakistan,” Ihsan said.Nato troops are due to hand over control of most operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces next year and officials have been eager to start peace talks with the Taliban there. But the Taliban insurgency in both Pakistan and Afghanistan is fragmented and senior commanders often disagree with each other over strategy. Talking to TheNation Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Liaquat Baloch said claimed that JI was already working on the agenda to promote Quran and Sunnah. “Jamat -e-Islami (JI) is determent realize its agenda to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” he said.Referring to the TTP letter, Baloch expressed astonishment that how the talks will be made with TTP openly. The TTP in its letter had revealed that it was not targeting the Jamaat-i-Islami and JUI of Maulana Fazlur Rehman but these parties should also revise their positions and statements.

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