ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervez Rashid has said that unofficial talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government and Taliban are in progress.
Talking to media on Friday, Rashid said that the government was exploring all options to restore lasting peace in the country and was in contact with Taliban at different levels.
The information minister also endorsed a statement made by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman that a formula had been chalked out for holding formal talks with Taliban within a month.
“Maulana Sahib is a responsible person and whatever he said is correct,” he said.
The JUI-F chief on Friday told reporters in Parliament House that a forum comprising authoritative and responsible people was being formed for holding talks with Taliban within a month.
The information minister did not say at what level talks had been initiated and with which group of militants. But, he said the government was ready to negotiate with any group of Taliban interested in holding talks.
“I cannot say with which group of Taliban we are holding talks because today we are talking with two groups and if another group wants to join we will welcome it too,” he said.
Rashid said the government’s main objective was to restore peace and it would do everything possible to achieve that.
“We have to rid the country of the menace of terrorism for which all options would be utilized,” he said.
In reply to a question that if the government had taken opposition into confidence before going for negotiations with Taliban, the information minister said the opposition was always consulted during formal and informal meetings and, particularly, in the Parliament House.
However, he said, there would be no opposition leader in the forum being formed for the talks which would be between the government and Taliban.
“Therefore there is no need to include any leader of the opposition in the process,” Rashid added.
Meanwhile, a top Taliban commander told the BBC on condition of anonymity that several issues were discussed during the talks which included stopping sectarian attacks in Pakistan and disassociation from al-Qaeda and organizations like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
