TTP announce conditions for ceasefire
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PESHAWAR: The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday put forth their conditions for ceasefire, days after the militant group killed 23 Pakistan army soldiers in revenge for the killing of their colleagues.
Speaking from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said that killing and dumping bodies of TTP members should immediately be stopped.
“Our fighters are being targeted, arrested and killed in fake police encounters. The government's negotiations team should ensure to our committee that this would immediately stop,” said the TTP spokesman.
“The government has killed more than 60 Taliban since the start of the peace talks, in Karachi and the rest of Pakistan, under a secret operation codenamed Operation Root Out,” Shahid said.
Shahid said that a ceasefire may be reached if the government ensures to the committee that their demands will be met.
“The killings of soldiers in Mohmand were in response to the onslaught on Taliban members by security forces during the talks between government and Taliban committees,” he added.
Peace talks between to end years of violence by the militant group reached a deadlock earlier this week after the killing of the 23 soldiers.
The soldiers had been kidnapped from Shongari checkpost in Mohmand tribal region in 2010 and were killed in captivity to avenge what they called the custodial killing of their ‘fighters’ in various parts of Pakistan.
Following the killings, a four-member team of government negotiators said it would not be able to carry forward the talks process in the wake of continuing deadly attacks by the militants.
The announcement Wednesday came just after a member of the Taliban nominated peace talks committee, Maulana Yousuf Shah, vowed to break the deadlock in negotiations.
“People should not be disappointed as the negotiations process is still ongoing. There was a deadlock before as well but we were able to break it with maturity,” Shah told reporters in Peshawar.
“Maulana Samiul Haq is in direct contact with the Taliban. We will restore peace at any cost,” he added.
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Comments (24) Closed
Feb 19, 2014 05:44pm
Did anyone tell TTP that government job is to maintain law and order and if any TTP criminal is found he will be arrested. TTP is causing havoc in cities and provinding a peaceful environments is job of the government. Therefore TTP cannot place any conditions. They must simply stop their criminal activities. There shall not be any conditions from criminals.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:01pm
Killing innocent people, blowing up schools and shooting teenage girls in the head is a sign of weakness on the part of the Taliban. I remember a video of how these 'brave ferocious-looking warriors' cried like girls when the Northern Alliance captured them in Afghanistan.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:21pm
Peace at any cost, the venerable Maulana said.
At the cost of hundreds of life? Of human rights trampled? At the cost of our freedom to live our lives the way we want? At the cost of giving away a chunk of our land and thereby placing the lives of its citizens in the hands of merciless barbarians?
Is such 'peace' worth the price? All citizens of Pakistan may be equal but those in Punjab are more equal.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:31pm
"Demand,demand,demand and nothing to give in return", the motto of TTP.
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Feb 19, 2014 06:36pm
We are living in fools' paradise and our government is making this nation fool again and again. This cat and mouse story will not end with peace talk. The only solution is what Sri Lanka did against Tamil Tigers
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Feb 19, 2014 06:38pm
So they admit that they were fooling the government - in reality they were not observing ceasefire
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Feb 19, 2014 06:39pm
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Feb 19, 2014 06:39pm
They are cancer for our society. Root them out . We have never seen such a brutality in our life. The video which they have made of this brutal killing is terrible.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:02pm
Just an idea - hand over all our politicians to TTP and then start the talks.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:14pm
Pakistani Media outlet are playing a very negative role. They will be remembered in the history as the biggest traitors of the nation. Giving Taliban coverage, constantly giving them air time for their propaganda. Pakistan is a Banana Republic and is begging for negotiating with Terrorists. Taliban mission is to occupy as much land as possible and challenge the writ of the government in more places. Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and the political leadership will gift them KPK to save themselves but they wont stop there. I see Nawaz as Mujeeb once they get a hold of him.
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Feb 19, 2014 07:53pm
Taliban should provide a list of all the Taliban fighters that are in government custody and the government should ensure their safety during the peace talk. The government should not be accountable for any arbitrary list of people it does not know about.
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Feb 19, 2014 09:03pm
They use name of Islam yet they follow law of jungle. Do they know Islamic teachings? Do they know killing of any innocent is highest crime? They need to be dealt with iron hand, either lay down your arms or face full force of People of Pakistan.
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Feb 19, 2014 09:54pm
No muzakraat. we need to kill every taliban. bus
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Feb 19, 2014 10:07pm
If we really pay attention to all this conversation we are ont he mercy of these middle mans . Seems liek they can threate us also if goveerment did not hear what taliban are saying than this war is going on. May allah save us from these people.
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Feb 19, 2014 10:17pm
One day, Pakistan government will have to fight these talibans. There is no question about it. These negotiations won't go anywhere. Taliban are just buying time and nothing else. slowly they are increasing their influence in major cities. The day is not far when north wazirstan will be attacked.
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Feb 20, 2014 12:28am
Enough is enough. This hide and seek game must stop. Government of Pakistan must take action without further delay in accordance with constitution and laws of Pakistan and eliminate militancy and terrorism using force, not negotiations. 180 million Pakistanis are watching impatiently whether government will perform its duties in accordance with laws and constitution of Pakistan or allow innocents killed day after day at the hands of militants and terrorists. Negotiation with criminals, militants and terrorists is totally against constitution and laws of Pakistan and even against the Sharia of Islam. These militants and terrorists are enemies of government of Pakistan, people of Pakistan and human race, May Allah give wisdom to government leaders to understand their duties and responsibilities at this critical moments or replace them by those who can serve Pakistan!
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Feb 20, 2014 12:51am
If TTP does not want its terrorist members to be arrested then it should refrain from any/all such activities that are considered as against the law. It is as simple as that. They just cannot have it both ways, period.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:17am
I can't even describe in words the logic that Taliban use. But what's worse is what our politicians' logic are using. They seem to be infected with a similar disease. If I was to describe the Politicians logic it would be:
1. As long as the number of people killed by terrorists is 10-15 per day. Everything is fine.
2. We cannot and should not attack the Taliban because they could retaliate and attack our families and relatives.
3. If we choose to attack the Taliban in North Waziristan, there will be more blood shed and it is undemocractic to attack our future votes.
4. Just like in the past, when we turned a blind eye to a problem. Usually the problem went away on it's own. And when it does, it will look good and help us win the next election.
Love - Your government.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:30am
Operation "Root Out" is the way to go and needs to be perform with urgency and at a much larger scale. The only way to stop these attrocities is to "Root Them" TTP and their associates needs to be "rooted" urgently. Please continue on with this rooting operation.
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Feb 20, 2014 01:48am
Please COAS start another major operation with a name I am proposing called Operation Shaft Out. The objective of that operation will be the extension of operation "Root Out" at a much larger scale and will end whenTTP and their ALL associates will be "Rooted and Shafted". For the sccessful completion of operation "Rooted and Shafted" the whole nation will owe you and will salute you.
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Feb 20, 2014 04:09am
1. State should not kill its people as portrait by the Taliban's. If at all the allegation has any merit, the government should stamped it out with vigour and authority as Americans, Brits punished returning soldiers for breech of their military codes of responsibility
2. Taliban's appears to realise that the authority of the government is lasting where as their
policy is dependent on the life span of their leaders
If the government exercised its authority of force with firmness, I am sure it could tame them.
It has happened in Northern Ireland. Chechnya, Turkey against Kurds,
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Feb 21, 2014 06:11am
Years of surrendering cannot be undone in days. Also selectively talking to one terrorist group while sheltering another will not work. To deal with Talibans and other terrorist groups, you need to be 10 times more brutal. That is the only language they understand.
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Feb 21, 2014 12:54pm
Why is the Government engaging itself in dialogue with terrorists in the first place. They have killed so many Pakistanis brutally, they should be killed and finished off immediately. I wonder why is the state not taking action against them and their supporters. I wonder what kind of good for nothing government we have.
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Feb 21, 2014 03:39pm
Why does TTP think they should talk to Govt on equal basis. They are outlaws and as such talks should be held to negotiate their surrender and further process of law should take its course.
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