The decision was taken during a meeting between 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...
and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at the Prime Minister's House on Saturday.
What apparently prompted the prime minister to issue the directive was a letter written to him by the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, asking the government to immediately inform the nation and parliament about progress on the direction unanimously set by an all-party conference on Sept 9.
The opposition leader said the APC had unanimously passed a resolution authorising the government to initiate dialogue with Taliban or to take steps to eliminate extremism and terrorism. "Forty-five days have passed and the government as of today has failed to take parliament and the nation into confidence on steps taken in either of the two directions specified by the resolution," the letter said.
The prime minister said all parties should be consulted on the matter. "All political parties had mandated the government through the APC to hold dialogue with the Taliban and representatives of different parties should feel to be part of the process." He said peace and security were pivotal to economic development and prosperity.
Before the APC passed the resolution, briefings had been arranged for politicians by the prime minister, the interior minister, chief of the army staff and the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on the internal and regional security situation.
Through the resolution the leadership had authorised the federal government to initiate dialogue with all stakeholders forthwith and for this purpose authorised it to take steps as it might deem fit, including development of an appropriate mechanism and identification of interlocutors. "Needless to say, the process should be as inclusive as possible, with full participation of the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
and other stakeholders. The guiding principles should include respect for local customs and traditions, values and religious beliefs and the creation of an environment which brings peace and tranquillity to the region," the resolution said.
A day after passage of the resolution, the interior minister said at a press briefing that a framework for talks with Taliban was ready. But even today, not only the general public but also the leaders and the parliament have no idea about the status of the talks.
Some believe that informal contacts have been established by the government with Taliban, but formal talks have yet to begin.
Leaders including PTI chief Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
and JUI-F chief
Maulana Fazlur RehmanDeobandi holy man, known as
Mullah Dieselduring the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ...
have been criticising the government for the delay in initiation of the dialogue.
It was only on Friday that Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz clearly indicated that talks with snuffies might begin in the next few days.