Peace talks not Punjab-specific issue: Rashid

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid has said the negotiations with Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are not the issue of Punjab only, as it is the issue of whole Pakistan.
"We are Pakistanis" and the talks are underway to resolve the issue on permanent basis. This is not the issue of one province but it is the issue of the entire Pakistan," he said this while talking to media at the National Book Foundation here on Tuesday.
He said that the provinces have played a pivotal role with reference to the internal national security policy and all the parties in the country are supporting talks with Taliban.The government will consider demands whatever to be presented by Taliban, he said adding information will also be collected from state institutions on this count.
The minister said that all the political parties are supporting the dialogue process with Taliban.
The peace talks are at a preliminary stage, he said, adding that at the time of presentation of demands, the matters of recovery of sons of Salman Taseer and Yousaf Raza Gillani and every person who has been kidnapped by them will be discussed.
To a question, he said India had declared Pakistan as Most Favoured Nation (MFN) in 1998 and the federal cabinet of previous PPP-led government had signed agreements with India and ensuring implementation of these agreements is responsibility of the government. "Our government is entering into no new accord," he stated.

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