ISLAMABAD:  Afghan peace talks have provided PTI chief Imran Khan a chance to defend his stance on talks with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Although Mr Khan spent an unusually quiet day on Wednesday at his Banigala residence, he couldn’t resist commenting on the ongoing peace talks between representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban.

Going to his twitter handle the PTI chairman shared his thoughts with his over 2.6 million followers, saying, “Ironic how I was attacked for suggesting peace talks & now Pak is hosting, with US approval, talks between Afghan govt & Taliban in Pak.”

Taking a cue from twitter posting of the party leader, media wing of the PTI issued a terse statement to media, further explaining Mr Khan’s take on the peace talks.

“When I proposed peace talks, I was made target of severe criticism, and now with the endorsement of Americans, Pakistan is busy hosting Afghan government and Taliban,” PTI chairman was quoted as saying. 

Because of his support for talks with the Pakistani side of the Taliban, the PTI leader also earned the nickname ‘Taliban Khan’.

On Tuesday night, according to media, representatives from the two sides held peace talks in the presence of officials from Pakistan, US, China and other unnamed countries.

The meeting took place in Murree.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015

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