Pakistani government, Taliban negotiators call for end to violence

Negotiators nominated by the Pakistani Taliban and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for peace talks called for an end to all "violent actions" to push the peace process forward after their first meeting in Islamabad on Thursday. Both sides agreed to hold talks within the Constitution of Pakistan and continue the dialogue process, said a joint statement issued at a press briefing after the meeting. "All actions that could be harmful for peace and security should be stopped," the statement said. The peace panels were formed last week to initiate dialogue to end bloodshed in Pakistan which has claimed over 40,000 lives over the past twelve years. The meeting agreed that members of a committee nominated by the Taliban will travel to Waziristan tribal region to meet the Taliban leaders and share with them details of the first meeting. Head of the Taliban team Maulana Sami-ul-Haq and chief negotiator of the government team Irfan Siddiqui expressed satisfaction with the discussions and said they held useful talks. Both sides sought clarification on certain issues including powers of the negotiating teams. Irfan Siddiqui told reporters that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sincerely wanted peaceful solution through dialogue and the beginning of the talks reflected his policies of negotiations. Maulana Samiul Haq said that positive efforts made for restoration of peace would be reciprocated fully, adding that Taliban also wanted dialogue. The negotiators agreed that the peace accord will be applicable only in the insurgency-hit areas of Pakistan. "The dialogue process should not be long as the nation awaits a good news," the statement said. The talks, earlier scheduled for Tuesday, was delayed after two members of the five-member Taliban team refused to join the process. The Taliban did not include any of their members in the team and instead named a five-member intermediary team of religious and political leaders as their representatives. The Taliban team comprised Jamaat-e-Islami leader Professor Mohammad Ibrahim, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq, JUI-F politician Mufti Kifayatullah, Red Mosque Islamabad's prayers leader Maulana Abdul Aziz and Pakistan Tehrik- e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan. However, Mufti Kifayatullah and Imran Khan declined to be part of the Taliban delegation.