ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's fledgling peace talks with the Tehreek –e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) suffered a fresh blow Friday as a negotiator for the group said he would take no further part until the agenda included the imposition of the sharia law.
The intervention from cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz comes a day after teams representing the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) held a preliminary round of talks in Islamabad.
There has been widespread scepticism about the chances of the peace initiative achieving a lasting solution to the TTP's seven-year insurgency.
Aziz, the chief cleric at Islamabad's Lal Masjid, said Pakistan's constitution should be replaced by the Quran and the hadith.
"That should be the law in Pakistan and until the committee brings this point on the agenda I won't be part of negotiations," he told reporters on Friday.
He said he would remain part of the TTP's three-man delegation led by fellow cleric Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, unless told otherwise, but would not come to the negotiating table.
"I won't participate in talks until they include a clause about the imposition of Islamic law," he said.
On Thursday, the government and TTP negotiators, including Aziz, issued a joint statement agreeing to work within the framework of Pakistan's constitution.
But Aziz's move threatens to undermine the talks and the government side has already voiced doubts about the composition and authority of the TTP's representatives. The government delegation skipped an initial meeting on Tuesday citing confusion after two members of the group pulled out.
Professor Ibrahim Khan, another member of the TTP peace committee, told AFP they had yet to hold talks with the militants to discuss the next step.
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