Helping government to resume Taliban talks: JUI decides to reconvene Tribal Jirga

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has decided to reconvene its Tribal Jirga within few days with a view to help the government to resume the proposed peace process with the Taliban stalled in the wake of the recent US drone attack. In a statement issued by JUI Spokesperson Jan Achakzai here on Wednesday, the JUI-F chief said that the drone strike halted peace process with the Taliban and now there was a dire need to seek new ways to resume the dialogue process.
He said that the Tribal Jirga convened in February 2013 in Islamabad, was backed by the national leadership and they would go back to the Jirga to take its members into confidence and seek new ideas for moving forward. He said that without involving the people of FATA, there could be no effective mechanism for talks with the Taliban.
He said that the Jirga will help the government to guide its efforts for reconciliation. He said that third party would not be allowed to hijack the national bid to seek peace and reconciliation. The proposed peace process with the Taliban saw a serious setback following a US drone strike that killed TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud in North Waziristan followed by Taliban announcement not to hold any talk with the government.