PESHAWAR: The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday welcomed peace talks with the government, hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered talks to the Taliban and constituted a four-member committee for talks with them.
In a statement, the TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said that they are convening a Shura to discuss Nawaz Sharif’s fresh dialogue offer.
The TTP spokesman further said that there are not factions in the Taliban, adding that they are united under the leadership of Mullah Fazlullah.
Shahidullah Shahid also claimed responsibility on the attack on Rangers in Karachi earlier in the day.
In his address to the National Assembly on Wednesday, the prime minister constituted a four-member committee for talks with them, saying the government has adopted the path of talks with the Taliban to give peace another chance in the lager interest of the country.
The committee includes Irfan Siddiqui‚ Rahimullah Yusufzai‚ Rustam Shah Mehmand and Major (retd) Muhammad Amir, while the federal minister for interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who remained a focal person for the dialogue process will assist the committee and he will personally monitor the whole process.
Earlier, Asmatullah Muawiya of Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab also reportedly welcomed the peace talks. Muawiya said that the only way to ensure the survival of and to protect the country is through dialogue, adding that the Punjab Taliban have always supported peace talks.
