Pakistan and the TTP (Taliban) in peace talks?

[Devil Soul]

Taliban, Pakistan in peace talks

Updated 7 minutes ago

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Taliban movement, a major security threat to the country, is holding exploratory peace talks with the U.S.-backed government, a senior Taliban commander and mediators told Reuters on Monday.

The discussions are focused on the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border and could be expanded to try to reach a comprehensive deal.

The Taliban, who are close to al Qaeda, made several demands, including the release of prisoners, said the commander. An ethnic Pashtun tribal mediator described the talks as
"very difficult".

The United States, the source of billions of dollars of aid vital for Pakistan's military and feeble economy, may not look kindly on peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it has labelled a terrorist group.

Past peace pacts with the TTP have failed to bring stability, and merely gave the umbrella group time and space to consolidate, launch fresh attacks and impose their austere version of Islam on segments of the population.

"Yes, we have been holding talks but this is just an initial phase. We will see if there is a breakthrough," said the senior Taliban commander, who asked not to be identified. "Right now, this is at the South Waziristan level. If successful, we can talk about a deal for all the tribal areas," he said, referring to Pashtun lands along the Afghan border.
Taliban, Pakistan in peace talks

 

[foxbat]

Taliban, Pakistan said to have started peace talks: Taliban commander
Taliban, Pakistan said to have started peace talks: Taliban commander | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Taliban movement, a major security threat to the country, is holding exploratory peace talks with the US-backed government, a senior Taliban commander and mediators told Reuters on Monday.

The United States, the source of billions of dollars of aid vital for Pakistan’s military and feeble economy, is unlikely to look kindly on peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it has labeled a terrorist group.

Past peace pacts with the TTP have failed to bring stability, and merely gave the umbrella group time and space to consolidate, launch fresh attacks and impose their austere version of Islam on segments of the population.

The discussions are focused on the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border and could be expanded to try to reach a comprehensive deal.

The Taliban, who are close to al-Qaeda, made several demands, including the release of prisoners, said the commander.

An ethnic Pashtun tribal mediator described the talks as “very difficult.”

“Yes, we have been holding talks, but this is just an initial phase. We will see if there is a breakthrough,” said the senior Taliban commander, who asked not to be identified.

“Right now, this is at the South Waziristan level. If successful, we can talk about a deal for all the tribal areas,” he said, referring to Pashtun lands along the Afghan border.

The TTP, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban movement fighting US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan, is entrenched in the unruly areas along the porous border.

Pakistan has come under pressure to eradicate militancy since US special forces in May killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani town, where he had apparently been living for years.

Pakistan’s government and military have said they had no idea bin Laden was in Pakistan and have yet to explain the intelligence gap.

The operation enraged Pakistan’s military, which branded it a violation of sovereignty and then reduced cooperation on intelligence critical for US efforts to stabilize the region as it winds down combat operations in Afghanistan.

“The US won’t be happy,” said Rahimullah Yusufzai, a Pakistani expert on the Taliban. “If there is less pressure from Pakistan on the militants then they (the Pakistani Taliban) will turn their attention to Afghanistan.”

Speculation on peace talks has been rife since the government said in a September all-party conference on a crisis in relations with the United States that it would attempt negotiations with militants to bring peace.

“We never wanted to fight to begin with,” said the senior Taliban commander. “Our aim was to rid Afghanistan of foreign forces. But the Pakistani government, by supporting America, left us no choice but to fight.”

Since bin Laden’s death, the TTP has vowed to attack Western targets abroad.

Pakistani military and government officials were not immediately available for comment.

“This is a very difficult stage. We have had three rounds in the last two months, but there seems to be no result,” said one of the tribal elders involved in the talks.

“It is too difficult to say if there will be a breakthrough, but we are moving in the right direction.”

 

[Devil Soul]

Hafiz Gul Bahadur warns against working with army
AP (58 minutes ago) Today
PESHAWAR: A militant commander who has a shaky peace deal with the Pakistani army is warning civilians in the area not to work with military engineers building a road cutting through his northwestern territory.

Hafiz Gul Bahadur says those working alongside the military will be killed as spies.

His statement surfaced in the Afghan-border region of North Waziristan recently. It was seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

 

[Jango]

Yeah, the army is creating roads , schools, colleges, hospitals and it is all wrong.

 

[niazifighter]

Yeah, the army is creating roads , schools, colleges, hospitals and it is all wrong.

don't know about hospitals and schools but roads are being build for own purpose because proper roads reduce the ied threat upto 80 %
gul bahadur is really testing army nerves

 

[niazifighter]

Govt opens peace talks with Taliban

* Two rounds of discussions held by a 10-member negotiating committee are focused on SWA region initially

* Taliban nominate Waliur Rehman for talks

* Taliban conditions include troops withdrawing to barracks, military compensating losses, exchange of prisoners, end of ties with US

* Taliban release five ISI officials as goodwill gesture

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The government intermediaries have held talks with the Pakistani Taliban in recent months, exploring ways to jump-start peace negotiations, intelligence officials and a senior militant commander said.

As reports of the talks emerged, officials on Monday said that gunmen ambushed a paramilitary convoy in Balochistan, killing 14 soldiers.

The Pakistani Taliban have waged a separate war against the government. A peace deal between authorities and the group could represent the best hope of ending years of fighting that has killed thousands of security personnel and civilians.

But it is unclear whether the preliminary talks will gain traction or if the Pakistani Taliban are unified enough to actually strike a deal. It is also uncertain whether a deal could last.

“Peace talks are continuing with the Pakistani government and army. We have had two rounds of such talks,” one senior Taliban commander said by telephone, claiming to be on a 10-member negotiating committee.

He said Taliban conditions included troops withdrawing to barracks, the military compensating losses and an exchange of prisoners.

The government has cut peace deals with the Pakistani Taliban in the past, but they have largely fallen apart. The agreements have been criticised for allowing the militants to regroup and rebuild their strength to resume fighting the government and foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Talk of a new peace deal could be troubling to the United States if it is seen as providing militants with greater space to carry out operations in neighboring Afghanistan. However, Washington’s push for a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban could make it difficult to oppose an agreement in Pakistan.

The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are allies but have primarily focused their attacks on opposite sides of the border.

The government delegations that held preliminary talks with the Pakistani Taliban over roughly the past six months have included former civilian and military officials and tribal elders, the intelligence officials and a senior militant commander said in recent interviews with the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

The discussions are focused on the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border and could be expanded to try to reach a comprehensive deal if progress is made.

As a confidence building measure, the Pakistani Taliban released five officials from the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency who were kidnapped in Balochistan, the officials and the commander said in the interviews. agencies

 

[Doctor09]

Hafiz Gul Bahadurn you will soon meet your fate ..... we are behind you and once we caught you it will be the lats day for you and we will not show mercy

 

[TaimiKhan]

don't know about hospitals and schools but roads are being build for own purpose because proper roads reduce the ied threat upto 80 %
gul bahadur is really testing army nerves

With better roads will come economic progress also. Army has reduced its IED related casualties through other means. During SW operations without having proper metaled roads, army had very less IED related casualties. Army doesn't needs to make expensive roads to control its IED casualties, as in mountainous areas, you can use IED in number of ways even with metaled road.

NW agency has a border with Afghanistan and with proper metaled roads, the flow of transport going through Khyber / Torkham border can be controlled and transport coming on NH through DG-Khan / DI Khan can be routed to Bannu and onwards to Mir Ali / Miranshah and then across the border. Similarly, SW & NW can be linked with Baluchistan through Zhob, which will give a very short travel time compared to the current one. When you have infrastructure in the shapes of good roads, it leads to invest also.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Talks will never succeed. Their demands are impossible to be met, nor can they meet our demands.

All they are trying to do is get some time and since they are focusing it on SWA, its due to the fact that they lost SWA to the army and they are not having free hands in NWA, thus for them no more places to go to except for going back to SW, where they will start their mischief like old days again.

Thus no need for peace talks, just crush them, plus NATO/US should do more on their side of the border and control the inflow & outflow with their high tech equipment and use the drones to monitor the border and attack the ones who cross the border and create problems on both sides.

 

[Leader]

DGISPR denied any such talks, its not army's place to hold talks, but mandate of government. DG

 

[Jango]

don't know about hospitals and schools but roads are being build for own purpose because proper roads reduce the ied threat upto 80 %
gul bahadur is really testing army nerves

How do roads prevent IED's exploding? please expand on that.

Roads are a vital asset for military operations, agreed, but they are also vital for the economy of that area. The exposure to different goods, easy travel, more inflow of tourists etc etc.

Schools are also being built like the Military Colleges. There was a picture in DAWN newspaper the other day of the army building schools, this also gives employment to labour there.

 

[khail007]

PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban has declared a cease-fire to encourage nascent peace talks with the government, a senior commanders said, a move that appears to show the deadly group’s willingness to strike a deal with state.

The commander said the cease-fire has been in effect for the past month and was valid throughout the country.

”We are not attacking the Pakistan army and government installations because of the peace process,” he said late Monday. The commander is close to Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not the official spokesman of the insurgent network.

His statement adds credence to recent announcements by anonymous Taliban and intelligence officials that government intermediaries recently met Taliban commanders to talk about a possible peace deal.

The government has not officially commented, and on Tuesday the Pakistani army denied it was involved in any talks.

The Pakistan Taliban, an umbrella grouping of militants allied with al-Qaida and based in the northwest close to the Afghan border, has been behind many of the scores of bloody suicide attacks around Pakistan over the last 4 1/2 years. At least 35,000 people have been killed in the bloodshed.

The United States wants Pakistan to keep the pressure on insurgents and would likely be concerned about any effort to strike a deal.

Many of its fiercest foes in Afghanistan, as well as al-Qaida operatives from around the world, live alongside the Pakistan Taliban in North Waziristan.

Much remains unclear about the nature of the talks and their potential. Both the army and the militants have engaged in misinformation before. Some reports have said any deal would only cover one region in the northwest, South Waziristan, but could be extended.

The Pakistan Taliban is believed to be divided. Many of its leaders and foot soldiers have been killed in US drone attacks and Pakistani army offensives over the last few years.

Some faction and allied groups are still committed to war against the state, and there been several insurgent attacks over the last month.

Pakistani Taliban declare nationwide cease-fire | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

 

[SHAMK9]

FINALLLYY!!!! lol USA failed to do that wth Al-Quida, we shud get nobel peace prize, jkes

 

[Oldman1]

FINALLLYY!!!! lol USA failed to do that wth Al-Quida, we shud get nobel peace prize, jkes

Uh huh, when there is an attack on Pakistani troops or a bomb in a city somewhere in Pakistan just stop talking and don't embarrass yourself.

 

[mr42O]

Uh huh, when there is an attack on Pakistani troops or a bomb in a city somewhere in Pakistan just stop talking and don't embarrass yourself.

some one never learn they are not welcome.....