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Pakistan Taliban Deny Secret Peace Talks with Government
[An Nahar] A front man for the Pak Taliban on Saturday denied media reports that the government was holding peace talks with the bad boy group.Pak private media and most Urdu and English language dailies on Saturday ran headlines reporting the start of peace talks with the Taliban while some said there had been initial contacts with the hard boys Shahidullah Shahid, main front man for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) told Agence La Belle France Presse that no contacts had been made between the group and any government official. "I categorically deny the holding of peace talks on any level between the Taliban and Pak government," Shahid told AFP from "No contacts have even been made between us, nor have we received any offer to initiate peace talks" Shahid added. Pakistain's respected English language daily DAWN quoted Information Minister Pervez Rashid as saying the government was in secret talks with the TTP. "Unofficial talks between the government side and Taliban are in progress," Rashid told the paper. Rashid said the government's main objective was to restore peace and it would do everything possible to achieve that. "We have to rid the country of the menace of terrorism for which all options would be utilized," Rashid was quoted as saying. BBC Urdu, quoting an unnamed senior government official and a Taliban capo, also reported the beginning of peace talks. "It is complete propaganda, the government must make it public if it has any proof of any such talks," Shahid said. The reports of peace talks emerged almost two weeks after Prime Minister  Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... made an offer to the forces of Evil in his first televised address to the nation since taking office after winning elections in May. Posted by: Fred 2013-09-01 |
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