Peace talks with the Taliban -first demand the implementation of Shariah law in Pakistan ?

The image shows members of the high-powered committee designated to facilitate negotiations with the Taliban. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: Two committees, nominated by the federal government and the Pakistani Taliban, will hold a preliminary meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday to chart a roadmap for peace talks, DawnNews reported.

Earlier last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced that his government would pursue peace talks with the Taliban despite a recent spate of attacks.

The premier had named a four-member committee comprising his Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddique, veteran journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, former ambassador and expert on Afghanistan affairs Rustam Shah Mohmand and former ISI official Major (Retd) Amir Shah to facilitate the dialogue.

Whereas, banned militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturdayhad nominated Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Maulana Samiul Haq, former chief cleric of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and Mufti Kifayatullah, a former lawmaker of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) from Mansehra to hold talks with government negotiators.

However, PTI chief Imran Khan backed out of the Taliban committee after his party declined a request for him to represent them in peace talks with the government today.

Moreover, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also announced that he would not participate in the dialogue process.

Three Taliban-nominated committee members meet

Earlier today, the five-member committee, nominated by the Pakistani Taliban to facilitate the dialogue process with the government, had held its first meeting in the federal capital today.

The meeting, chaired by Maulana Samiul Haq, was attended by Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Abdul Aziz.

Mufti Kifayatullah could not partake in the meeting whereas Khan was chairing a meeting of his party's core committee.

Sources said that while addressing the meeting, Samiul Haq had said the four-member committee nominated by the federal government to further the dialogue process with the Taliban had not contacted them, adding that the negotiating team would soon finalise its strategy.He expressed hope that the government would find a better solution to problems while holding dialogue with the Taliban.

Meanwhile, Professor Ibrahim had said he was very optimistic about negotiations with the Taliban while underscoring that problems could only be resolved through dialogue.

He moreover said that the Taliban would first demand the implementation of Shariah law in Pakistan and said if the government really wanted to impose it in the country in a democratic manner, it could have easily been done in the past 65 years.