|
Taliban welcome JUI-F APC declaration for peace talks
[Dawn] Pak Talibs have welcomed the five-point declaration of an All Parties Conference (APC) called by the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -- Fazl (JUI-F) for steps to restore peace in Pakistain's restive tribal areas. Mainstream political and religious parties and civil society groups agreed at the moot on Thursday to negotiate peace with thug elements through a broadened tribal jirga earlier formed by JUI-F. "The political parties have sent a positive message by excluding the word terrorism from the joint declaration. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) shura (council) gives it high regards," Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesmen for the banned thug outfit, told Dawn.com on Friday via telephone from The front man, however, said that Pak Taliban was still waiting for a "positive response" from the Pak military on the offer of peace talks with the thugs. Ehsan said that Taliban council also respected the gesture of all the political and non-political forces which have shown confidence in the members of the tribal jirga and have tasked them for holding peace talks. "We welcome and respect this decision," he said. The Taliban front man said a serious sitting for peace would help assess the seriousness of the government, the army and other stakeholders in moving ahead with the grinding of the peace processor. He said that such a step would also help judge "the powers of the jirga for holding such talks independently." Asked if the gunnies were willing to endorse a ceasefire and seize attacks on Pak security forces, the front man said: "It will only begin when we are on the table (for peace talks)." "Ceasefire and such modalities can be discussed when we kick start the grinding of the peace processor," he said. To another query about announcing the TTP jirga team, which will be coming forward for the peace talks, he said: "If most of the country's forces can agree and build consensus on some figures to be part of the jirga, the Taliban will also propose their own names," he said when asked about members of the team which may engage in peace negotiations. He, however, declined to disclose any names. Posted by: Fred 2013-03-02 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=363320 |