PESHAWAR: The shura of the Pakistani Taliban is meeting at an unknown location in North Waziristan to discuss the fate of the peace talks and the extension in ceasefire.
Sources told Dawn that key Taliban leaders, including peace committee head Qari Shakeel and Azam Tariq, were attending the meeting while the TTP’s deputy ameer Khalid Haqqani was chairing.
Sources said the key issues being discussed during the meeting was of ceasefire extension and the exchange of non-combatants. Apart from these, infighting among two rival Taliban factions which has claimed scores of lives on both sides was also on the agenda.
In a statement issued on Sunday, TTP spokesman Shaidullah Shahid had said that the differences and clashes between the two groups had been blown out of proportion in the media, adding that these were not of much importance.
He had also said that the various groups of the TTP were united and on one page when it came to talks with the government.
On the other hand, independent as well as intelligence sources have said that the delay over the ceasefire issue was due to internal strife within TTP ranks.
The key TTP leadership had rushed to the Shawal valley to resolve the dispute while the outlawed organisation is also claiming the issue between the Khan Said Sajna and Shehryar Mehsud groups have been resolved and that there was no infighting now.
Clashes over a period of a week have left over 40 militants dead on both sides. The dead include some key figures as both sides.
