ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday lashed out at all those involved in criticising the government’s peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, saying the dialogue process cannot move forward amid “needless rhetoric,” DawnNews reported.

Speaking during a ceremony held at Nadra headquarters here, he again dispelled the notion of a deadlock in peace talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“Those who were supposed to support the dialogue process are busy in hurling allegations at the government through needless rhetoric … they have made a road show out of it,” said the minister without naming anyone.

“Continuation of peace talks would be difficult under these circumstances,” he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said that delay in the next direct meeting with Taliban Shura was due to an internal rift within the militant outfit’s ranks rather than the government.

He expressed annoyance over attempts to create an impression of a rift between the civil-military relations, saying the government’s ties with the Pakistan Army were good before and will remain that way in the future also.

On the other hand, head of the TTP negotiating committee, Maulana Samiul Haq hinted that the next round of direct talks would be held on May 5.

Speaking to reporters at Rahim Yar Khan airport, he said that TTP negotiators would also participate in the government’s meeting with the Taliban Shura.

The chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-S), who is known as “Father of Taliban” in the West, said that ‘internal and external forces’ were hatching conspiracies to derail the dialogue process.

He advised the armed forces and the militants to choose the path of dialogue by laying down their arms.