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Published 08 Nov, 2021 08:10pm

Govt, TTP agree on complete ceasefire, says Fawad

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Monday said that the government and banned Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan have agreed on a complete ceasefire.

Fawad said the negotiations were done in accordance to the rule of laws.

No negotiations are being done by government of Pakistan which does not fall under the ambit of the constitution; neither would it ever be done, he added.

Fawad said that during these negotiations, the writ of state, national security, peace in relevant areas, economic and other affairs were a priority.

Given the pace of negotiations, the ceasefire can and will be extended, he added.

Fawad said that interim Afghan government was playing the role of a facilitator.

"This is a welcome move that these area of Pakistan are heading towards peace after a long time," Fawad said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in his interview with TRT World on October 1 had mentioned talks with the banned Tehreek e Taliban, saying that some of the groups actually want to talk to the government for reconciliation.

He said the Taliban fighters would have to give up arms and renounce violence so they could be considered "normal citizens" under the reconciliation agreement.

“I do not believe in military solutions,” the PM stressed in his interview. “I’m anti-military solutions. So I always believe, as a politician, political dialogue is the way ahead which I always believe was the case in Afghanistan.”

The TTP was banned in Pakistan in 2008 after their deadly attacks across the country killed thousands of people.

In 2014, they claimed responsibility for one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country -- the attack at the Army School of Peshawar which killed 150 people, most of them students.

Following Khan's interview to TRT World, interior minister Sheikh Rasheed told a press conference that the amnesty for Taliban fighters was not for those involved in deadly terrorist attacks.

“We know very well who’s good and who’s bad. Anyone who thinks we are not aware of that, he’s mistaken, he doesn’t have sense,” he said.

The offer of talks was only for “good Taliban” and negotiations on this were taking place at the “highest-level," he said.

Similarly, President Arif Alvi told Dawn News on September 11 that a general amnesty could be offered to the TTP.

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