ISLAMABAD: Chief of government’s negotiating team, Irfan Siddiqui, says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is satisfied with the progress in peace talks and has assured all out facilitation to negotiators for more contacts with banned TTP.
“The PM has described the restoration of peace as his top most priority and assured in today’s meeting that we will play his role. He also assured that all negotiators would be facilitated for holding talks with Taliban,” Irfan Siddiqui spoke to media person after attending a joint meeting of the government and Taliban negotiating teams with PM at the Prime Minister House.
Besides Siddiqui, his other team members Rahimullah Yousufzai, Rustam Shah Mohmand and Major Amir (retd), and Taliban team comprising Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Yousuf Shah and Professor Ibrahim attended the meeting.
Interior Minister‚ Ch. Nisar Ali Khan, who is also focal person for the ongoing dialogue process, was present on the occasion.
Replying to a question, Siddiqui said that it was decided in the meeting that one member of government committee will also go along the Taliban committee for meeting with Taliban shura in North Waziristan.
He said the government committee suggested the PM to directly contact with Taliban, at which, he has agreed to consider this option.
“We and Taliban have express regret over recent attacks, they are harmful for the ongoing talks, but besides, the TTP must expel the terrorists from their ranks and clarify their viewpoint over recent attacks, only disowning the attackers will not be enough,” he said.
To a question about change in committees, he said the PM will constitute new committee for peace talks, if required, and clarified that ‘political leadership will lead the mechanism’. “All the stakeholders are in harmony with political leadership.”
