Co-ordinator of Taliban-proposed committee, Maulana Yousaf Shah, affirmed on Wednesday that despite attempts of creating a deadlock, efforts would be made to restart peace talks between the government and Taliban committees. "The talks are going to face a deadlock. We are waiting for the day when we will give a good news to the nation," Yousaf Shah told a news conference held at Peshawar Press Club here on Wednesday. However, he vowed that his efforts would continue to save the process from derailment.
Yousaf said the government committee co-ordinator Irfan Siddiqui had not made any contact since the creation of deadlock. He said they are ready to restart the stalled negotiation process, whenever the government negotiators asked them to do so. When asked about any demand from Taliban side, he replied that the TTP has yet to present any pre-condition or demand for cease-fire. The demands, which were attributed to Taliban, were prefabricated, hypothetical and as such completely disassociate with them, he added. He informed that he made discussion in detail with the Federal Minister for Interior, Chaudhry Nisar Khan via telephonic contact, who expressed willingness for advancing the ongoing negotiation process. The Minister, he said, the incumbent government also want peace and stability, and put the country on track of progress and development again.
He further said the Taliban and Pakistani government showing sincerity in peace negotiations process, and the Pakistani nation will soon hear a good news. He, however, warned if force policy was not abandon, it would be costlier for entire Pakistan and rest of the region. About direct negotiations between government and Taliban, he said they don't have any sort of objections on that. Our mission is establishment of sustainable peace. He, however, warned that if the force policy was continued in case of failure of negotiations with Taliban, then it would directly affect the people of the country.
Maulana Yousaf informed that TTP had made contact with all its groups, which were fully obeying the order of central Shura of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. About autonomy of the government proposed committee, he declined to make comment on that. He, however, said Taliban nominated committee is fully independent in its decisions, and continuously in contact with head Maulana Samiul Haq. The committee, he said, would not take any decision and give any statement without his consent.
It was pertinent to mentioning here that the negotiation process plunged into disarray after banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed killing 23 soldiers of Frontier Constabulary (FC) on Saturday. The government's dialogue committee had expressed its inability to carry forward the process in the wake of continued deadly attacks by militants.
He said when Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, invited Maulana Samiul Haq, head of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-(JUI-S), he had taken a major responsibility for sake of peace in the country. But, he said the government had left out them, when it decided to start negotiation process with Taliban. Earlier, Maulana Mohammad Ahmad, a leader of JUI-Fazl announced to join JUI-Samiula Haq along with other friends.