PESHAWAR: The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has set two conditions to initiate negotiations with the government, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported on Sunday.
In a video message, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, blaming the government for being non-serious over their earlier ceasefire offer, expressed no confidence in the army as it had violated agreements signed in the past between the army and the militants.
Outlining the conditions, he said Taliban would hold talks with the government if three top politicians, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, acted as guarantors for the negotiations.
“We have no confidence in the army. To increase our confidence in the army, we want the three persons I named, (Jamaat-e-Islami chief) Munawar Hasan, (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader) Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, as guarantors,” TTP spokesman said.
Calling on the government to free three members of the Taliban’s political committee, Muslim Khan, Haji Umar and Maulana Mehmood, who had been captured by security forces, Ihsan said this was necessary so that the five-member political committee can participate in negotiations.
Pakistani Nuclear Scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan on Saturday said that he was ready to become a mediator between the Taliban and the government.
In response to Khan’s offer whom Ehsan termed an asset for Pakistan, and said his group would be willing to consider the proposal.
DND
