ISLAMABAD: The government is not in talks with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as the militant group’s demands are impossible to accept, Pakistan’s interior minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday.
The TTP, which is a separate movement from the Afghan Taliban, has fought for years to overthrow the government in Islamabad and rule with its own brand of Islamic law. In December, the group declared an end to a month-long cease-fire, accusing the Pakistan government of breaching terms including a prisoner release agreement and the formation of negotiating committees.
Last month, the head of the Pakistan army’s media wing said armed operations against the group had been relaunched.
“[The government] is not holding talks with the TTP at the moment,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid told reporters. “They are making demands that are not possible for any elected government, representing the people, to accept.”
The minister said the group had increased attacks across the country over the past couple of weeks, and security forces had obtained intelligence about their operations after killing two of its members after an attack in Islamabad last month.
Best known in the West for attempting to kill Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who went on to win the Nobel Prize for her work promoting girls’ education, the TTP has killed thousands of military personnel and civilians over the years in bombings and suicide attacks.
Among its attacks was a 2014 assault on a military-run school in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which killed 149 people, including 132 children.
The United Nations has designated the TTP as a terrorist organization.
Earlier this week, Rashid said that as militant attacks had increased across the country, the government was doing everything to counter the emerging threats.
Ten Pakistani soldiers were killed after a check post was targeted by militants in Balochistan last week. The country has also witnessed similar attacks against police personnel in other areas.
A bomb blast killed several people in a crowded market in Lahore last month, while a Christian priest was shot dead in Peshawar by unknown assailants on Sunday.
No talks with Pakistani Taliban as demands impossible to accept — interior minister
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No talks with Pakistani Taliban as demands impossible to accept — interior minister
- Interior minister said the group increased attacks across the country over the past couple of weeks
- TTP declared an end to a month-long cease-fire in December, accusing the government of breaching terms
Pakistan engages Saudi Arabia, China in bid to ease surging Middle East tensions
- Pakistan’s foreign minister stresses need for de-escalation in conversations with Chinese, Saudi counterparts
- Tensions in the Middle East continue to remain high as conflict between US, Israel and Iran intensifies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and China on Tuesday, stressing the importance of diplomatic engagement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as the Iran war intensifies.
Pakistan has constantly engaged regional countries in efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East, after the US and Isreal launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran launched fresh attacks on Gulf countries on Tuesday morning, where it has targeted US military bases in recent weeks. In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring worldwide.
Dar spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss developments in the Middle East and ongoing deliberations at the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“DPM/FM shared Pakistan’s perspective, underscoring the importance of continued coordination and diplomatic engagement to support de-escalation and promote peace and stability across the region and beyond,” the statement said.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, spoke to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi over the telephone separately. The two discussed the evolving regional situation and broader global developments.
Dar underscored the need to ease tensions in the Middle East and the wider region during the conversation, the foreign office said.
Yi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and stability in the region, it added.
“The two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation and emphasized the need to pursue dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign office’s statement said.
The conflict in the Middle East has hit Pakistan hard as well, forcing Islamabad to hike petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per liter last Friday.
Pakistan’s government has also announced a set of austerity measures, which include closing schools and cutting down on government expenditures, as it evaluates petrol stocks and looks for alternative supply routes.
