Taliban cleric sets preconditions for joining talks
- The Times of India
ISLAMABAD: One of the negotiators of Taliban team for peace dialogue with the Pakistan government on Friday set a precondition for his joining the talks, demanding implementation of the Islamic law, Shariah. Also expressing skepticism was Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party chairman Imran Khan, who predicted the peace talks will probably fail and the ensuing military operation will lead to more terrorism.
"The most likely result is that the negotiations will start, there'll be about three or four big explosions, and terrorist attacks, and the negotiations will be called off," Khan told the Bloomberg news website in an interview. "There'll be people baying for blood and the operation will start."
Simultaneously, Maulana Abdul Aziz, the chief cleric of Islamabad's Lal Masjid, the site of the 2007 siege with the army, rejected the proposal of the government's team that negotiations should be held within the ambit of the country's constitution and demanded the implementation of Shariah.
"The negotiations can only be successful if held in accordance with the principals of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad's traditions," the Maulana said at a press conference. "My only demand is the implementation of Shariah in Pakistan," he said. As an influential cleric, his decision could cast a shadow on the talks.
On July 4, 2007, the Maulana was arrested by the Pakistani police for trying to escape the Lal Masjid compound. He was released in April 2009 by the supreme court as he awaited trial on charges of murder, incitement, and kidnapping.
On Thursday, the Pakistani government and a Taliban-nominated committee had met for the first time to discuss a roadmap for talks to end an insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.
Khan, a former star cricketer, criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for waiting too long after the May election to start talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "If I was him, I would lead it myself," he said of Sharif. "It's too important an issue for Pakistan."
The Taliban had named Khan as one of the negotiators from their side in the peace talks, but he had turned down the offer. Khan said the TTP had chosen him as a negotiator because they trust him to withstand US pressures. "Clearly, I don't represent Taliban," Khan said, adding he disagreed with TTP's interpretation of Shariah. The group will have to accept that the way to bring change in Pakistan is through elections and the nation's constitutional process, he said, adding: "You can't impose it through the barrel of a gun."
Khan said the TTP's statements revealed the US presence in the region was fuelling the militants. "We'll win this war if we disengage from the US war," he said. "As long as we're thought of fighting the US war, they would declare jihad on us, there would be the deadly suicide bomber. This would be a never-ending war."
Khan, whose party has protested against American drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, said: "If the US stops drone attacks, announces stopping the drone attacks during the talks, it would be a big plus point."
The PTI chief accused the US of sabotaging an earlier effort at talks with a November 1 drone attack that killed TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud. "The US doesn't want peace talks here or peace in Pakistan while they are leaving Afghanistan," he said. "The thinking is that if they (insurgents) are engaged here, they would not be going across to fight."
"The most likely result is that the negotiations will start, there'll be about three or four big explosions, and terrorist attacks, and the negotiations will be called off," Khan told the Bloomberg news website in an interview. "There'll be people baying for blood and the operation will start."
Simultaneously, Maulana Abdul Aziz, the chief cleric of Islamabad's Lal Masjid, the site of the 2007 siege with the army, rejected the proposal of the government's team that negotiations should be held within the ambit of the country's constitution and demanded the implementation of Shariah.
"The negotiations can only be successful if held in accordance with the principals of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad's traditions," the Maulana said at a press conference. "My only demand is the implementation of Shariah in Pakistan," he said. As an influential cleric, his decision could cast a shadow on the talks.
On July 4, 2007, the Maulana was arrested by the Pakistani police for trying to escape the Lal Masjid compound. He was released in April 2009 by the supreme court as he awaited trial on charges of murder, incitement, and kidnapping.
On Thursday, the Pakistani government and a Taliban-nominated committee had met for the first time to discuss a roadmap for talks to end an insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.
Khan, a former star cricketer, criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for waiting too long after the May election to start talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "If I was him, I would lead it myself," he said of Sharif. "It's too important an issue for Pakistan."
The Taliban had named Khan as one of the negotiators from their side in the peace talks, but he had turned down the offer. Khan said the TTP had chosen him as a negotiator because they trust him to withstand US pressures. "Clearly, I don't represent Taliban," Khan said, adding he disagreed with TTP's interpretation of Shariah. The group will have to accept that the way to bring change in Pakistan is through elections and the nation's constitutional process, he said, adding: "You can't impose it through the barrel of a gun."
Khan said the TTP's statements revealed the US presence in the region was fuelling the militants. "We'll win this war if we disengage from the US war," he said. "As long as we're thought of fighting the US war, they would declare jihad on us, there would be the deadly suicide bomber. This would be a never-ending war."
Khan, whose party has protested against American drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, said: "If the US stops drone attacks, announces stopping the drone attacks during the talks, it would be a big plus point."
The PTI chief accused the US of sabotaging an earlier effort at talks with a November 1 drone attack that killed TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud. "The US doesn't want peace talks here or peace in Pakistan while they are leaving Afghanistan," he said. "The thinking is that if they (insurgents) are engaged here, they would not be going across to fight."
Source http://timesofindia.com/world/pakistan/Taliban-cleric-sets-preconditions-for-joining-talks/articleshow/30023993.cms
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