13 ‘non-combatant’ Taliban may be released

Pakistani members of the negotiating committee from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Maulana Sami ul Haq (L) and Mualana Yousaf Shah (R) arrive to brief media representatives after meeting with the Pakistan government negotiation committee in Islamabad – AFP/file
Pakistani members of the negotiating committee from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Maulana Sami ul Haq (L) and Mualana Yousaf Shah (R) arrive to brief media representatives after meeting with the Pakistan government negotiation committee in Islamabad – AFP/file

MULTAN: Taliban Committee member Maulana Yousaf Shah says a list of 765 non-combatant Taliban prisoners has been handed over to the government out of which 13 inmates will be release in a couple of days.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Shah said military and Taliban were attacking each other after end to ceasefire.

Putting the responsibility for discontinuity in ceasefire on dialogue committees, he said if members of both committees would have played their role actively the ceasefire would not have ended. “Now the committees are making sincere efforts for ceasefire as war is not in favour of anyone.”

He said: “Taliban and the government are sincere in peace dialogue and those who are demanding military operation are enemies of the country and peace.”

He said the Taliban and the government should exchange their demands in the form of drafts to continue peace dialogue.

“A list of 765 non-combatant prisoners was provided to the government out of which 13 will be released in a couple of days as a good gesture,” he said.

Yousaf Shah said the government had informed the Taliban Committee that neither women nor children were in government custody. He said former PM Gilani visited Akora Khatak to seek help for the release of his son Haider Gilani; however so far there was no clue to the effect despite the efforts.

He said the government should initiate dialogue with Baloch leaders to maintain peace in Balochistan and they should not be labelled as rebels.

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