KP minister offers to open Taliban office in Peshawar
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai on Sunday offered to open a Taliban office in Peshawar to move forward the peace process and said the provincial government was ready to provide every assistance in this regard.
Talking to media persons here, Shaukat Yousafzai said the KP government was ready to play its role for the establishment of peace in the country.
He said the PTI also made the same offer recently, but faced severe criticism from many political circles. However, he said the KP government was still prepared to facilitate the establishment of a Taliban office in Peshawar.
He said the government and Taliban should exhibit responsible behaviour for making the talks successful.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan contacted the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and exchanged views on negotiations with the Taliban.
During the telephonic contact, Chaudhry Nisar made an offer to include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak in the government negotiations team. Imran Khan sought time for consultations with the party over the offer.
The PTI chief expressed strong reservations over the statement of the defence minister regarding a military operation. However, Chaudhry Nisar told him that no decision regarding an operation has been made yet. He said the government wants to move forward the negotiations process with honesty. He said the government will take every decision on the matter in consultation with the opposition. In the wake of contact between the two leaders, a meeting between Imran Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also expected. Chaudhry Nisar contacted the PTI chief on the instructions of the prime minister.
It is learnt that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wants to take the PTI on board on the issue of the Taliban and peace talks.
In either scenario operation or dialogues the PML-N is willing to take into confidence the Imran Khan-led PTI.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-29020-KP-minister-offers-to-open-Taliban-office-in-Peshawar