Peace dialogue committees to hold meeting in Islamabad

The two committees nominated by the Pakistani government and Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will hold a preliminary meeting in the capital city Islamabad on Tuesday, said officials.The Prime Minister, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif formed a four-member committee to pursue peace talks with Taliban. In response to the governments step for negotiating peace, TTP also announced a five-member committee to hold dialogues with government. The governments negotiator Irfan Siddique confirmed that the meeting between the two committees is scheduled to be held on Tuesday at 2 pm.TTP nominated Chief of political party Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, Maulana Samiul Haq, former chief cleric of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and Mufti Kifayatullah, a former lawmaker of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) to hold talks with government negotiators on their behalf.A statement issued by the PTIs core committee said that Imran Khan would not act as a representative for the five-member committee nominated by the TTP to further dialogue with government negotiators.Sharif on Monday expressed optimism about the outcome of peace talks with Taliban. The Prime minister in a press statement said, "I will personally supervise the talks process while Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali will assist me." He added, "It is my utmost desire that the committees formed by the government and the TTP make a headway in the talks."