PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Friday rejected offer of peace talks a day after all parties conference called by the Awami National Party (ANP) agreed to negotiate with the Taliban militants, calling it just the party’s election agenda, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
“This ANP-sponsored offer of talks is just the party’s election agenda,” said Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan from an undisclosed location.
Two weeks after the banned militant outfit had initially made a conditional offer for peace talks with the government, the country’s major political parties huddled together on Thursday at an ANP-led all parties conference, and announced they had all agreed on the need for peace through dialogue with the militants.
“Attaining peace through dialogue should be the first priority,” said a joint declaration read out by ANP chief Asfandyr Wali Khan.
However, the Pakistani Taliban dismissed the contents of the declaration as “old wine in a new bottle.”
“The Taliban are still waiting for a serious and result-oriented response from the security forces and the government to our dialogue offer,” said Ehsan, reading out what he said was a statement issued after a key meeting of the Taliban shura (council).
The TTP spokesman said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) boycott will remain a question mark on the credibility of the conference, adding that the offer was made for “Islam and in the country’s interests.”
“It is not the sign of our weakness,” he quickly added from a written statement, he read out in Urdu.
Ahsan lashed out at the ANP for holding the APC on Valentine’s Day, which he said ‘reflected the imperialistic approach of the ANP leaders.
Angry at the Pakistani media, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said that ‘certain American-brand journalists’ are discrediting the Taliban’s peace dialogue offer, who say that Taliban are not serious in talks.
“We want that those writers and journalists should be held accountable,” he said.
In response to a question, Ehsan confirmed to media that Taliban have decided names for its negotiation team, refusing to divulge their names unless the government comes up with a formal response.
To another question he denied any differences in the ranks of the Taliban over the talks issue and said that all Taliban are united in the talks offer. He also dispelled the impression that Taliban have offered talks only to gain recognition for the outfit.
“The whole word recognises us,” he went on to say.
DND
