JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
A long-awaited first round of
peace talks between Pakistani Taliban insurgents and the government
began in Islamabad on Thursday after persistent delays and growing doubt
over the chance of their success.
The
insurgents have been battling to topple Pakistan's government and
establish strict Islamic rule since 2007, but Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif believes both sides are now ready to find a negotiated settlement
and stop fighting.
insurgents have been battling to topple Pakistan's government and
establish strict Islamic rule since 2007, but Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif believes both sides are now ready to find a negotiated settlement
and stop fighting.
In a statement after the meeting, which lasted over three hours, the two sides stressed their commitment to dialogue.
"Both
committees concluded that all sides should refrain from any act that
could damage the talks," it said. "Both condemn recent acts of violence
in Pakistan, saying such efforts should not sabotage the talks."
committees concluded that all sides should refrain from any act that
could damage the talks," it said. "Both condemn recent acts of violence
in Pakistan, saying such efforts should not sabotage the talks."
Irfan
Siddiqui, a government negotiator picked by Sharif, sent a text message
from the meeting in an Islamabad government building, describing the
atmosphere as "cordial and friendly".
Several earlier efforts at Siddiqui, a government negotiator picked by Sharif, sent a text message
from the meeting in an Islamabad government building, describing the
atmosphere as "cordial and friendly".
striking peace deals with the militants failed to end the violence for
long, only allowing them to regroup, recruit new fighters and strike
back with renewed vengeance.
Pakistan's
neighbors are watching closely, acutely aware that another failure to
find a peaceful solution could further destabilize the region already
nervous ahead of the expected pull-out of most foreign forces from
neighboring Afghanistan.
Thursday's meeting in Islamabad was a neighbors are watching closely, acutely aware that another failure to
find a peaceful solution could further destabilize the region already
nervous ahead of the expected pull-out of most foreign forces from
neighboring Afghanistan.
preliminary round where the two sides were expected to agree on a broad
roadmap for future contacts.
But many in Pakistan doubt that talking to an insurgent group that stages almost daily attacks will succeed.
As
the sides prepared for talks this week, a suicide bomber killed eight
people near a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the city of Peshawar. The Taliban
have tried to distance themselves from the attack but the bombing
reinforced doubts about the talks.
SCEPTICISM
Taliban bosses
watched the progress of the talks in Islamabad from their mountainous
hideouts on the Afghan border, with their interests represented by three
Taliban-friendly public figures hand-picked by the insurgents.
"The
progress of the talks will be submitted to the prime minister," said a
government official, who declined to be identified, as he was not
authorized to comment on the talks.
The Pakistani Taliban, known
as Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban, are a deeply fragmented umbrella group
consisting of dozens of entities, so striking a deal with one of them
would not necessarily stop the violence.
On Tuesday, the first
attempt at talking got off to a shambolic start after government
negotiators failed to turn up at an agreed time, angering the
insurgents' representatives.
"The unavoidable question for the
government though: what are talks meant to achieve if violence continues
even in the immediate run-up to the first real, known attempt at
talks?" the respected Dawn daily wrote in an editorial.
Militants
have stepped up attacks against security forces since the beginning of
the year, prompting the army to send fighter jets to bomb their
strongholds in the ethnic Pashtun region of North Waziristan, along the
Afghan border, and triggering talk that a major ground offensive was in
the works.
have stepped up attacks against security forces since the beginning of
the year, prompting the army to send fighter jets to bomb their
strongholds in the ethnic Pashtun region of North Waziristan, along the
Afghan border, and triggering talk that a major ground offensive was in
the works.
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