A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman admitted on Sunday that there were contacts between the Taliban and the Awami National Party (ANP), saying his leadership had responded positively to the peace overtures of the nationalist party.The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is a newly-formed body of the Taliban. Its spokesman, Maulvi Umar, told reporters on the telephone from an undisclosed location that Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud had shown his willingness to talk to the incoming government. “The Taliban are ready to [engage in] dialogue to improve the law and order situation in the country, They are the unpaid soldiers of Pakistan,” Umar said.
The ANP, the winner party of the February 18 polls in the NWFP, has nominated Amir Haider Hoti as its candidate for the office of chief minister in the incoming government. Umar welcomed Hoti’s announcement on talks with the Taliban. “Hoti’s offer of talks with us is a sensible move. The move will help improve the law and order situation in the NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),” he added.
He suggested the next government do away with the “pro-US policies” of President Pervez Musharraf. However, he said that the Taliban would not give up weapons “as long as the Americans and their allies are in Afghanistan”.
Achakzai: Umar criticised nationalist leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai for dubbing the Taliban as outsiders. He said the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan was entirely a body of Pakistanis and there were no foreigners attached to it. He said the Taliban would stick to the “ceasefire deal” with the government.