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) 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 ...
welcomed the Taliban's declaration of a ceasefire.
He termed the Taliban announcement "a wise decision" and called on 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...
to convene an all-parties conference immediately.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah also welcomed the TTP's announcement.
Talking to the media in Sukkur, the Pakistain People's Party (PPP) leader said that his party wanted peace in the country by any means.
He said that all options must be considered to restore peace in the country, and added that if there would be sincerity from both sides, dialogue could be successful. The ANP, MQM and the PTI also welcomed the development, saying that peace must be giving a chance. The PPP and the ANP called it a positive step.
Talking to PPI on the phone soon after the Taliban announcement on Saturday, Senator Zahid Khan, the information secretary of the ANP, said that his party believed in the philosophy of non-violence action, and had always stressed the need for holding a dialogue, which was why it welcomed the Taliban announcement. He, at the same time, said that the ANP was doubtful about the sincerity of the Taliban, so it did not think that the announcement would help improve the situation of law and order in the country.
"The announcement is a positive step but there is no guaranty that different groups of the Taliban will stop their attacks," he added.
To a question, he said that surgical strikes in North
Wazoo were a reaction of the army, and the government had nothing to do with it, as it did not have the guts to take any action against the krazed killers. Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!...
PPP Sindh General Secretary Taj Haider also welcomed the Taliban's announcement and called it a positive step. To a question, he said that the announcement would be good for law and order in Sindh, particularly in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, as it had proved that the Taliban were active in the province.
Responding to a question, he said that the government should now make the Taliban accept the constitution of Pakistain and completely surrender. He said that if the Taliban did so, the PPP would support the government's amnesty for them.
Haider said that if the issue could be solved through a dialogue, surgical strikes against the Taliban in North Waziristan should also be stopped during the dialogue process, as saving someone's life was better than taking it.