PESHAWAR: Member of the Taliban negotiating committee Professor Ibrahim said on Thursday that the Pakistan Army and the Taliban were the real parties to the peace talks, DawnNews reported.
Ibrahim during an address to a tribal jirga in the provincial capital said that the persisting conflict could not be solved by any army operation or militant attacks - it could only be solved through peaceful negotiations.
JUI-S Chief Maulana Samiul Haq also addressed the jirga, claiming it was easier to contact and communicate with "those sitting in caves" than those sitting in Islamabad. Both Ibrahim and Sami gave assurances that the Taliban would accept the constitution of Pakistan.
Sami said that there was a significant role played by the tribal people in the independence of Pakistan and they were also on the front line for defending Pakistan. He said that tribal people were deprived of their constitutional and legal rights. He said the all the tribal leaders were backing the peace process.
Samiul Haq added that he had advised the Taliban to act patiently in the matter of peace talks. He urged both the sides not to delay the matter of peace talks. He also appealed to both the parties to proceed with the peace talks.
Earlier a high-level meeting on national security attended by the premier Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) had decided to pursue specified agenda in talks with TTP and to make the process result-oriented.
