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
https://arab.news/8hgh5
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 reports decline in polio cases in 2025
- Cases drop to 30 from 74 in 2024, with no new infections recorded since September
- Authorities plan intensified targeted drives in 2026 to halt remaining transmission
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported a sharp decline in polio cases in 2025, with infections falling to 30 from 74 a year earlier, as intensified vaccination campaigns and improved surveillance helped curb the spread of the virus, health authorities said on Wednesday.
No new polio cases have been recorded anywhere in the country since September, said a statement, as Pakistan carried out six polio campaigns, including five nationwide drives, trying to reach children in high-risk areas and improve monitoring of virus circulation.
Despite the decline, the authorities cautioned that poliovirus continues to circulate in some districts, requiring sustained vigilance to prevent a resurgence.
“Targeted interventions, robust community engagement, and ongoing vaccination efforts remain essential to reach every missed child and prevent any resurgence,” the official statement said.
“Frontline health workers, security personnel, and local authorities continue to work in close coordination to maintain high immunity levels and ensure that Pakistan remains on course toward becoming polio-free,” it added.
The most recent nationwide campaign, conducted from Dec. 15 to 21, achieved more than 98 percent coverage across the country, including all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the capital, Islamabad.
Authorities reported an 18 percent reduction in the number of missed children compared with the previous round, with notable improvements in access and operations in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a longstanding challenge area.
Pakistan’s polio eradication drive relies on close coordination between health workers, security personnel and local authorities, amid ongoing resistance in some communities and access constraints in remote or insecure regions.
Officials said district-specific interventions, including improved microplanning, better deployment of vaccination teams and enhanced community outreach, were being used to address remaining gaps, particularly in parts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The statement said Pakistan plans to intensify targeted efforts in 2026 to interrupt the remaining transmission chains and move closer to eliminating the disease.
