ISLAMABAD: A member of the government’s team holding peace talks with representatives of Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) is of the opinion that Thursday’s bomb attack on police in Karachi has dealt a serious blow to the dialogue process and that it will take lots of efforts to put the process back on track.

The member who didn’t want to speak on record said: “Despite recent bomb attacks in Peshawar … we were going ahead with the peace process because the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) distanced itself from these acts. Since the TTP has accepted responsibility for the attack on policemen in Karachi, the government side expects lots of clarifications.”

On his part, coordinator of the government team Irfan Siddiqui described the killing of over a dozen policemen in the attack as a “serious setback to the talks” which has put everyone involved in the process, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on the back foot.

The Thursday’s bombing in Karachi, according to the member, had pushed three members of the government’s committee into a tight spot because “we can’t remain part of a process that doesn’t lead to peace, but to death and destruction”.

Journalist Rahimullah Yousufzai, former ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand and retired army officer Major Amir are members of the government’s four-man committee in which only Irfan Siddiqui holds a formal government position, special assistant to prime minister on national affairs

Talking to Dawn, Rustam Shah said that Thursday’s bombing in Karachi had dealt a “severe and serious setback” to the talks after which the government would have to decide whether it still wanted dialogue with militants.

He referred to Jan 29’s speech of the prime minister in the National Assembly in which he had categorically clarified that talks and acts of terror could not go together.

The prime minister’s stance was reiterated by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who was in Karachi on Thursday to oversee the ongoing targeted operation in the metropolis.

“However, I personally believe, the peace process should be given time because both sides have suffered heavy losses over past 10 to 12 years and will take time to find common ground,” said Rustam Shah in reply to a question.

On the chances of success of talks after the Karachi incident, the former ambassador said the only way forward at the moment was formal declaration of ceasefire by both sides which could provide a breathing space to thrash out contentious issues. “Otherwise, things will become more difficult.”

If the talks fail, Rustam Shah said, the only workable option for the government would be to launch a targeted operation. A full-fledged military assault in North Waziristan Agency will only result in deaths of poor villagers because the war-hardened Taliban will run away.

Without revealing the contents of the letter which the government committee wrote to Taliban negotiators on Thursday, he said it was part of the effort to create a situation which could lead to declaration of a ceasefire.

When asked, Irfan Siddiqui also refused to share the contents of the letter. “It is part of the deal any detail related to the peace process will be made public with the consent of the two committees which stops me from speaking on the letter,” he said.

However, Mr Siddiqui was appeared to have been disturbed by the Karachi bombing.He said despite all odds the prime minister initiated the dialogue process and the government still hoped it would help to restore peace in the country.

No member of the Taliban committee was available for comment on the effects of Thursday’s bombing in Karachi.

Probably they weren’t prepared to answer questions after the TTP accepted the responsibility for the attack, commented a member of the government team.