Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday announced ‘complete ceasefire’ with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), after the negotiations.
“Under an agreement, the Government of Pakistan and banned Tehreek-i-Taliban [Pakistan] have agreed upon complete ceasefire,” the minister told media while referring to the interview of Prime Minister Imran Khan with a foreign television in which he had hinted at these negotiations.
The minister said the negotiations with TTP are underway and would be carried out in accordance with the constitution and law of the land. “Obviously, no government can hold such negotiation which contravenes the constitution and law of Pakistan,” he said. “In these negotiations, writ of the state, national security, peace of relevant areas and socio-economic stability will definitely be taken into account,” he added.
The minister said persons, affected due to TTP in different areas, would not be ignored during the negotiations. “Therefore, they are also being taken into confidence,” he added.
Fawad said the ceasefire would be extendable, keeping in view the progress of negotiations. “Authorities of Afghanistan’s interim government did play role of a facilitator in these talks,” he added.
Fawad said it was welcoming to note that after a hiatus, complete peace would eventually return to those areas which had been affected due to TTP.
The banned TTP declared a one-month ceasefire, starting from November 9, media reports said.
The spokesperson for the banned group said the ceasefire could be extended with the consent of the parties involved – the TTP and the government – while both parties should abide by the rules of the ceasefire.
The banned TTP said that the group has agreed to set up negotiating committees, which will try to move forward with the next course of action as well as the negotiation process on the demands of the parties. According to the banned TTP, the Afghanistan Taliban are playing the role of a mediator in the negotiation process.
The announcement comes a little over a month after Prime Minister Imran Khan had stated that the government was in talks with some TTP groups, seeking a reconciliation. “There are different groups which form the TTP and some of them want to talk to our government for peace. So, we are in talks with them. It’s a reconciliation process,” the premier had said during an interview with TRT World.
Islamabad is believed to have reached an understanding with the Taliban government on the two-pronged strategy. Pakistan, at the request of the Taliban government, agreed to give talks a chance. If those efforts failed, the Taliban government would take military action against the TTP and other groups threatening Pakistan.
