MANSEHRA: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Mufti Kifayatullah on Wednesday said he had a strong desire to be part of the proposed peace process after nomination by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan but had to decide otherwise in line with the party leadership’s orders.

“I am the one, who has worked very hard to bring the (Pakistani) Taliban to the table for peace talks with the government and wanted to be part of the Taliban committee, but had no option but to follow the instructions of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to distance myself from the entire process,” he told reporters here over the telephone.

The TTP had named Mufti Kifayatullah as member of its committee to hold dialogue with the government committee.

Mr Kifayatullah said he had requested his party chief to let him represent the Pakistani Taliban in the peace committee but the latter ‘didn’t bother’ to accept his request and therefore, he’d to follow the party chief at any cost.

He thanked the TTP for reposing confidence in him.

“The (Pakistani) Taliban had contacted me before giving my name in their committee and I endorsed them but now I am regretting to leave their team. I thanks the TTP for reposing confidence in me by naming me as member of their committee,” he said.The JUI-F leader said his party’s decision to stay away from the government-Taliban negotiations was based on principles and that he supported it in letter and spirit.

“We (JUI-F) are part of the coalition government at centre but the government doesn’t take any of our members in its peace committee, while a member of the opposition party (PTI), Rustam Shah Mehmood, is part of the Taliban peace committee. The government has betrayed us,” he said.

Mr Kifayatullah said the government committee was not formed by the prime minister and instead, someone else had influenced the government for the purpose.

“Had the prime minister formed its committee for talks, he might have included us (JUI-F) in it,” he said.

The JUI-F leader said he asked the prime minister to clarify position on the matter.