PESHAWAR - Member of Taliban Peace Committee Maulana Samiul Haq has made contact with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Shura(Supreme council) on Wednesday to convey some requests on behalf of the committee for holding ceasefire.
Talking to The Nation, Coordinator Taliban Peace Committee Maulana Yousaf Shah said that Maulana Samiul Haq has contacted the Taliban Shura regarding unconditional ceasefire and has also put forward some suggestions for durable peace in the region. He said that that Taliban Shura has welcomed their suggestions and called their meeting to consider the suggestions.
He said that they have requested the Taliban leadership for unconditional ceasefire but now it depends on them that what are they deciding in their meeting. He said the public would be apprised of the TTP’s decision. Shah added that to ensure successful peace talks, it was imperative that the government and the TTP should enter a ceasefire.
Earlier on Tuesday night, the TTP had rejected the government’s call for an unconditional ceasefire. “If this is what we have to do, we would have done it 10 years ago,” TTP’s spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said.
“It is the government which has waged a war against us and it is for the government to end it now. Let the government hold fire and we shall follow suit,”
It is pertinent to mention here that on Wednesday Pakistan Muslim League (N) government presented national security policy on terrorism in the National Assembly asked the opposition members to give valuable suggestions to make it more comprehensive. The cabinet has already approved the proposed policy of the government and has decided to continue both dialogue and surgical strikes against militant hideouts.
Online adds: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has said that Taliban were ready for the consequences of military operation.
In a statement, TTP spokesman said military operation will incur less loss to Taliban and that the rulers must fulfil their will for compiling the statistics.
Earlier, in the statement, Shahidullah Shahid had confirmed the killing of top Taliban commander Asmatullah Shaheen.
The TTP spokesman said the Taliban suffered an irreparable loss due to the death of Asmatullah Shaheen. He alleged intelligence agencies for assassination of Asmatullah Shaheen.