The committees formed by the Pakistan Government and the banned Taliban for peace talks will meet for the first time on Tuesday even as cricketer- turned-politician Imran Khan and the right-wing Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F distanced themselves from the peace process.
The developments came on a day when PM Nawaz Sharif signalled his determination to end terrorism through dialogue. He said his only wish was for the talks with the Taliban to move forward successfully. The committees from the two sides will meet in Islamabad at 2 pm on Tueday, officials said. The decision came following a telephone conversation between radical cleric Samiul Haq, a member of the panel nominated by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Irfan Siddiqui, a senior journalist who is part of the Government’s committee.
The TTP had proposed it should be represented by a committee comprising Samiul Haq, known as the “father of the Taliban”, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Ibrahim and Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F. However, the Tehrik-e-Insaf’s top body declined the Taliban’s proposal to include Imran Khan in its committee.