In a statement issued to the media here on Sunday, TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid said the political Shura of Taliban would guide the five-member committee nominated by it. He said that Taliban sincerely wanted peace talks with the government.
The committee comprises Maulana Samiul Haq
...the
Godfather of the Taliban,leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as
Mullah Sandwichfor his habit of having two young boys at a time...
, Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
chairman Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
, Lal Masjid Khateeb Maulana Abdul Aziz, Jamaat-e-Islami
...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
chief Prof Muhammad Ibrahim and former MPA Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F.
The TTP has included in its committee leaders of different political leanings. Maulana Fazl, the chief of his own faction of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...the political wing of the Pak Taliban...
, is a staunch opponent of Imran Khan, while JUI-S chief Maulana Sami is considered to be an arch rival of Maulana Fazl. Similarly, the JI has no soft corner for Maulana Fazl and his party.
The TTP front man said the government should not repeat the mistakes of its predecessors when negotiations were used as a weapon against the Taliban and, therefore, peace could not be restored.
He said the TTP's central Shura had decided after deliberations to form a committee that could easily approach the government team and also represent the Taliban's point of view in a better way.
Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the pastor had finally been wrestled from the pulpit.
Y'got the wrong guy!he yelled just before Sergeant Malone's billy club landed...
Maulana Sami contacted the PTI chief and urged him to accept Taliban's offer.
Maulana Sami, according to his elder son Maulana Hamidul Haq, also spoke to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and requested him to persuade Imran Khan to join the committee.
Maulana Hamid said the PTI chairman had struggled for the cause of peace, launched a protest against US drone attacks and supported the Taliban. Therefore, he should take part in the grinding of the peace processor.
"Being a supporter of Taliban, Imran should join the committee and play his role in restoration of peace," he quoted Maulana Sami as saying.
Maulana Sami also talked to members of the government committee, he said, adding that a formal meeting of the two teams was likely to be held in three days.
Amjad Mahmood adds from Lahore: According to Punjab PTI chief Ijaz Chaudhry, members of the core committee from the province would oppose active involvement of the chairman in the talks, fearing that the outcome could undermine the leadership's stature and stance.
Another PTI leader alleged that the Taliban had included Imran Khan's name in the committee at the behest of the government to make the party support an army operation in case of failure of the talks.
The JI's deputy chief Dr Farid Piracha said: "Ours are not representatives of the Taliban. We'll work only as monitors and controllers between the official and Taliban's representatives and our role should be formally recognised by the government."
He said the party would reconsider its offer of cooperation if any other role was expected of it.