Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed revealed on Monday that Interior Ministry has been kept at bay in talks with TTP.
Sheikh Rashid expressed this days after PM Imran Khan revealed in an interview with Turkish broadcaster that talks with some factions of TTP were in process.
During a presser, while responding to a question, Ahmed said, “The Ministry of Interior has no role in this [talks with the TTP], and if the Taliban are engaged in any dialogue then it is not in my knowledge.”
“Nothing is final as to how this will end up”, he added.
When asked about whether he wanted such talks to be held with the TTP, he replied that decisions on such matters were taking “at the highest level” by the PM.
“The Ministry of Interior does not make these decisions,” he added.
Sheikh Rashid further revealed that PM Imran Khan had clarified that talks would be held with only those groups who would abide by the law and Constitution of Pakistan.
“Those who are terrorists and have caused harm to the country will not be engaged in dialogue.”, he added.
Sheikh Rashid reiterated that his ministry was not involved in the said matter.
It is pertinent to note that the criticism by the opposition over the government deciding to hold talks with the TTP is growing at a rapid pace.
Earlier, President Arif Alvi hinted at the possibility of giving amnesty to TTP members who had not remained involved in “criminal activities” and who would lay down their weapons and agree to adhere to the Constitution.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on the matter stated that the government would be “open to giving” a pardon to members of the TTP if they promised not to get involved in terrorist activities.
“But as long as they do not come and start undertaking terrorist activities [in Pakistan]. That is our concern,” the FM clarified.
Later PM Imran Khan stated in a recent interview that “there are different groups which form the TTP and some of them want to talk to our government for peace. So, we are in talks with them. It’s a reconciliation process.”
“The case of those who were involved in incidents like the APS is different. And the case of those who left the country for different reasons is different,” he had said in reply to a question about the merit and mechanism of talks with the TTP. “We are not surrendering to anyone and this process is at a very early phase. No one needs to jump to conclusions at this stage.”, he added.
PPP leaders are of a view that this move was more like “sprinkling salt on the wounds of martyrs’ families.”
More recently on Sunday, opposition parties have demanded from the incumbent government to take the parliament into confidence over the terms of engagements with TTP and raised suspicion over the government’s act of keeping the talks with the TTP secret.
