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...
Thursday said his government was sincere about holding peace talks with the Pak Taliban, after rebel chief Hakimullah Mehsud complained no serious steps had been taken to open a dialogue.
Speaking after a security meeting in the troubled northwestern city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
, Sharif said progress was being made on the issue of opening negotiations.
The premier was accompanied by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Information Minister Pervez Rashid and his Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on the occasion.
Bomb attacks have also hit all four lovely provincial capitals and Bannu district in Pakistain killing ten, wounding more than 60 on Thursday.
His statement came a day after the broadcast of a BBC interview in which Mehsud said he was ready to sit down for talks but the government had "not taken any serious steps."
Alleging the government for not being able to take any substantial step towards peace talks, Mehsud said his Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) outfit would not hold dialogue (with the government) through the 'media.'
"The government is sincere about solving the issue of terrorism through talks with Taliban," Sharif told the meeting in Peshawar.
"We are seriously implementing the decision jointly taken by the All Parties' Conference (APC) for dialogue with Taliban."