Interior minister says military given go-ahead for peace talks with Pakistani Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday a parliamentary committee had given a green signal to the military to negotiate with the Pakistani Taliban, according to a local media report.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has carried out some of the bloodiest attacks in the country’s history. Its top leaders are based in Afghanistan from where they intensified attacks in Pakistan after the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul last year in August.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed in June the Afghan government was meditating the peace talks between the government and the TTP.
“The military leadership would inform the committee about any progress in the talks and the matter would then be debated in parliament,” the interior minister was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper.
He confirmed the talks would be held under Pakistan’s constitution, adding that nothing which exceeded the limits of the constitution would be negotiated or agreed with the TTP.
Former prime minister Imran Khan made headlines in October 2021 when he revealed, in an interview to the Turkish media, that Pakistan was holding talks with the TTP.
Khan said the government was offering political amnesty and was willing to agree to release local Taliban prisoners to reach an agreement with the group.
The talks with TTP broke down several times in the past, with both sides blaming each other for violating their commitments.