PM forms four member committee for Taliban talks

ISLAMABAD: Announcing to give peace another chance, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif informed members of the National Assembly that a four member committee had been formed to initiate dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“Since the other side has shown intent to negotiate, we also wish to give peace yet another chance,” Prime Minister Sharif said in his National Assembly address. “However the acts of terror must stop. Terrorism and talks cannot continue simultaneously,” the prime minister told parliamentarians.

Referring to the recent wave of terrorist attacks the prime minister emphasized that terrorism had no place in Islam. “We are under obligation of our religion and the Constitution to safeguard the lives and properties of our citizens at all costs.”

Prime Minister Sharif said he would personally oversee the four member committee which would be comprised of Irfan Siddique (PM’s Advisor on National Affairs), Major (retd) Muhammad Aamir, Rahimullah Yousafzai (journalist) and Rustam Shah Mohmand (former Ambassador to Afghanistan). Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will serve as advisor to the committee.

The prime minister on proposals of opposition leaders agreed to make the dialogue process open and transparent and set a time frame for the process.

Prime Minister Sharif informed parliamentarians that the government was doing all it could to stop drone strikes in Pakistan, emphasizing that there was no justification for continuing acts of terror in reaction to these strikes.

“Are innocent children who fall prey to acts of terrorism or innocent civilians who die in such attacks responsible for conducting drone strikes,” Prime Minister Shairf said.