LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party has opposed another all-party conference over Taliban issue and asked the Muslim League-Nawaz government to better start developing a consensus among the people to launch a military operation against militants to establish the state’s writ.

The PPP’s rejection of another APC came in response to Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s Friday proposal of another meeting of political parties so that they could be apprised of the progress, if any, made on talks with the Taliban and to discuss other options in case of government’s failure (in talks).

“Imran Khan’s proposal is childish. What the government will get by holding another APC over Taliban issue? A mandate has already been given to the Nawaz government five months ago in the APC to first hold talks with Taliban for peace in the country but it has miserably failed so far.

The government should be clear about the second option,” PPP Secretary-General Sardar Latif Khosa told Dawn here on Saturday.

“Are five months not enough to kick off talks with the Taliban? How much more time the government needs,” he asked, saying the Taliban had repeatedly made it clear to the government that they were not ready for talks.

“After this clear reply, the government should revisit its policy and stop fooling the people in the name of peace talks as the Taliban have been striking anywhere in the country with impunity,” he said.

The PPP has held the PML-N government responsible for what it calls creating divisions among the people of the country over the Taliban issue. “It appears that the Nawaz government is deliberately buying time to let the Taliban strengthened itself.

The government should come out of the state of fear and develop a consensus among the people for launching a military offensive against those challenging its writ. Without consensus it will not be easy for the government to launch a military operation,” he said.

The PPP, he said, would press the government for taking the nation into confidence over launching a military operation against militants without any further delay as nobody was seeing any result of its peace initiative.

“We will not let the PML-N to repeat ‘we are holding talks with Taliban’ mantra for the remaining period of its term,” he warned.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali has already said there had been no progress in peace talks with the Taliban as yet.

“Killing a leader of JUI-S in Karachi, the Taliban has given a clear message to Mualana Samiul Haq, the nominee of the prime minister for holding peace talks and head of the JUI-S, what they think of peace,” Mr Khosa argued.