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PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday insisted they were still at war with government troops because peace talks have yet to start and the military is still launching multiple offensives against them.
The statement came a day after Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani said militants would not be allowed to take advantage of the offer for peace talks.
Earlier on Sunday, two senior military officers were killed by a remote controlled explosive device in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the military is fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban-led militants.
“War is continuing, it was started by the government and they will have to stop it,” Shahidullah Shahid, the main spokesman for the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), declared from an undisclosed location.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for peace talks, and managed to win the backing from main political parties last week.
However, hopes that the talks would go ahead were dealt a blow when an IED (improvised explosive device) exploded in Upper Dir on Sunday and killed three soldiers, including a major-general.
Analysts said the attack endangered the proposed peace talks with the insurgent group.
Moreover, former cricketer turned politician Imran Khan who heads Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday called for ceasefire by the government and Taliban militants along with immediate formation of delegations to kick-off talks.
The Taliban have said that they would carry out more attacks because peace talks have yet to be officially proposed.
“No one has contacted us for peace talks, not even a tribal jirga has approached us. If they (government) want to end this war, they will have to announce a ceasefire,” Shahid said.
The Taliban on Sunday announced preconditions for talks on ending the insurgency that has killed thousands of people, demanding that troops withdraw from tribal areas and that prisoners are freed.
But Pakistan's military, in turn, insisted they would not let Taliban rebels set conditions for peace talks.
When the TTP spokesman was asked about his group's future plans after the attack which killed the officers, he said: “We will never miss any opportunity to attack the army like that.”
Previous peace deals with the Taliban have quickly broken down and been sharply criticised for allowing the extremists time to regroup for fresh attacks.
An editorial in this newspaper today said that although General Kayani spoke bluntly “about not caving in to the demands of terrorists” and underlined the military’s resolve “to defeat the terrorists”, words alone would not suffice.
Pakistan says more than 40,000 people have been killed in bomb and suicide attacks staged by the Taliban and Al Qaeda-led militants who oppose Islamabad's US alliance.
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Sep 17, 2013 05:43pm
There was a time when it was said and believed that Pakistani soldier was equal to three Indian soldiers, and then it was said that now Pakistani soldier is equal to ten Indian soldiers. I am wondering how many Taliban, Pakistani soldier is equal to.
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Sep 17, 2013 06:20pm
Let current COAS give peace talk a chance. On both sides egoism is prevailing. Pakistan Army has the strength. During dialogue process or afterwards if COAS feels betrayed army can quickly move to lash out on Taliban. One side has to bow its head to start this process failing which more blood of innocent citizens will shed.
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Sep 17, 2013 06:33pm
Pakistan is a failed state and reason is our corrupt government and agencies...
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Sep 17, 2013 07:20pm
So TTP doesn't even want to negotiate. They just want Pakistanis to bow their heads down to them. Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif can go ahead and do that I am not joining them.
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Sep 17, 2013 07:47pm
What I need to know as to how they are logistically being provided and by who? arms ammo rations and above all the fuel? After concluding the above suffocate them for want of fresh supplies
am
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Sep 17, 2013 08:23pm
This is what General Kayani said a couple of days ago: "While it is understandable to give peace a chance through a political process
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Sep 17, 2013 08:43pm
It is difficult to understand the mind-set of TTP on one hand we hear TTP welcoming peace talks and on the other hand they say will continue killing unless someone initiates peace talks. It seems they enjoy killing more than peace. Even KPK where PTI rules the roost has not been spared by Taliban. in reality Taliban are looking for a chunk of Pakistan where they can exist and live freely to launch attacks with no interference from Govt. I am not sure if we can agree to such demands. we understand they have killed 40,000 thousand plus Pakistanis, can the politicians ensure that Taliban will hand over people with blood of innocent people. If I were PTI, PML, or the Maulana I would hate to tell the families of the 40,000+ dead that we have nothing to show for their sacrifices not even a tear to shed.
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Sep 17, 2013 09:07pm
"Pakistani Taliban say still at war with government".
But PML-N and PTI still begging to negotiate with them.
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Sep 17, 2013 09:09pm
Words must be supplemeted with an ultimatum and heavy weapons barrages at TTP and continue until TTP is destroyed. Many people will say you can't kill Pakistanis. The question is who TTP is killing? Pakistanis. Nation must support the action or face the fact that one day these thugs will be at your door step.
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Sep 17, 2013 09:12pm
taliban need to be uprooted like tamil tiger in srilanka they are beast and talks with them will nothing but waste of time the govt have been held talks prevously resulted unproductive like swat valley
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Sep 17, 2013 09:29pm
Taliban are party to the conflict, and no conflict can be resolved unless we involve all parties to the conflict. . There are always reasons underneath that make people violent, and unfortunately, most people either refuse to go to roots or do not know the roots, and try to fight out the problem by force without going to roots and that makes the problem more complex and multiply human sufferings.
so there is urgent need to go to roots of problem and address it diligently Taleban must be heard why they are unhappy with the government, and what is their point of view, and that will provide common grounds. Tolerance, mutual respect and understanding are the other means to attain sustainable peace.
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Sep 17, 2013 10:12pm
The Taliban demands does not even make sense. It is ok to ask a ceasefire but asking Pakistan Army to withdraw from Taliban territory does not make sense. If Afghan Taliban ask this request that would mean asking the foreign troops to leave. In case of Pakistan Army they are with in the territorial boundaries of their country and are providing an immense relief/protection to the tribal population. TTP does not represent the tribal populations and in the past has actively targeted/harmed local population, put in their own distorted version of sharia on top of them, targeted minorities/sectarian groups.
If talks are to be made with Taliban it should be with the constrains of Pakistani constitution and one of the final outcome should define the pathway for ultimate deweaponization of TTP and respect of Pakistani Law.
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Sep 17, 2013 10:22pm
Withdraw Pakistan army because TTP are asking for it?. NO WAY. This is insane. Why can't we finish them once and for all. They have nothing to do with Islam (any sect) and I wouldn't even call them human beings. This menace MUST be eradicated or say good bye to Pakistan.
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Sep 17, 2013 10:48pm
if the Pak army cannot fight the taliban, then your govt should ask the Indian army to kill the taliban.
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Sep 17, 2013 10:57pm
This is getting more and more ridiculous. I'm eagerly waiting to see how these talks materialise, and what comes of them.
Btw, is it a TTP recruitment criteria that your name has to be duplicated in your surname for you to be spokesperson of the TTP? Ehsanullah Ehsan was replaced by Shahidullah Shahid. Who's next? Asadullah Asad?
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Sep 17, 2013 11:08pm
The government says one thing............the army says another thing............and the Taliban says a third thing. It looks likes the Taliban are closest to the truth.
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Sep 17, 2013 11:13pm
Bye Bye peace talks. Wake up APC.
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Sep 17, 2013 11:22pm
there is no negotiating with the Taliban. They need to be terminated with extreme prejudice.
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Sep 17, 2013 11:41pm
Yes, they are at war. They want to take everything by force. You know why? Because they cannot take anything by negotiating, because they have no grounds, no argument to stand on. They must fight and take, that is the only way for them to achieve their goal, whatever it is. Do you think they can sit with highly educated and brilliant people and argue their case? How are they going to convince their opponent that killing women and children is a reasonable thing for a human being to do? They are not human beings they are beasts. It is a joke to expect them to come to negotiating table.
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Sep 18, 2013 12:53am
One cannot trust anything the Taliban say; trust what they do. They kill anyone who will not agree with them and their demands. Unfortunately, Pakistan, whether knowingly or unknowingly, has for the past decade encourage or permitted the existence and growth of the Taliban on Pakistani soil. Twenty thousand or more Pakistanis have been recruited by the Taliban through madrassas to go to their slaughter fighting for Allah, when they are actually fighting for the Taliban, which are not one and the same. Wake up, please, my good people of Pakistan.
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Sep 18, 2013 01:54am
@Parvez:
It is a 3 Card game?
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Sep 18, 2013 02:20am
There is no truth in war. There is just the fog of war. May Lord Almighty help us. What a tangled web we have weaved.
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Sep 18, 2013 02:21am
"Pakistani Taliban say still at war with government"
In the meantime, the pious and religious Taliban will keep killing innocent children with suicide bombings, keep killing women in the name of honour and keep suppressing and intimidating people who have different views. The Taliban can go to hell. They can kill millions of people but their rotten ideology is never going to be accepted by people who are progressive and use their brains.
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Sep 18, 2013 02:43am
@Parvez:
Government lies. Talibans lie. I would believe army anytime.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:50am
Law and order situation in FATA has improved considerably after military operations all over the FATA and the credit goes to security forces. Presently the terrorists are on the run some have made their way to big cities and some even fled to foreign countries. Those in hiding in FATA can easily be eliminated if the operation is conducted on war footing. FATA may be declared as settled area with proper security mechanism to ensure that the areas do not remain a hiding place for terrorists. There is no need of compromises as it will set a wrong message that punishments for crimes can be evaded with the show of guns.
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Sep 18, 2013 04:10am
What talks? wipe out these murderers through firm military action like that which happened in SIRILANKA
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Sep 18, 2013 05:59am
Why do we need to have a dialogue with them in the first place? Everyone knows the forces behind TTP. The only solution is to crush them.
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Sep 18, 2013 07:34am
@Parvez:
And that exactly is the problem. You put your trust in murderers and criminals rather than the government that you voted in. Only the government is telling the truth since they represent the people.
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Sep 18, 2013 08:16am
Talibaans are the peers of falsehood. Their organization is called Taliban meaning seeker of knowledge. But they are blowing up schools and none of them looks like having graduated from primary school as well.
They kill innocent people and carry on their shariah laws which are a mockery of justice as well. My question is that the nation must first decide if they are even capable of being called decent human beings let alone being called truthful Muslims.
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Sep 18, 2013 08:48am
Law and order situation in FATA has improved considerably after military operations all over the FATA and the credit goes to security forces. Presently the terrorists are on the run some have made their way to big cities and some even fled to foreign countries. Those in hiding in FATA can easily be eliminated if the operation is conducted on war footing. FATA may be declared as settled area with proper security mechanism to ensure that the areas do not remain a hiding place for terrorists. There is no need of compromises as it will set a wrong message that punishments for crimes can be evaded with the show of guns.
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Sep 18, 2013 02:24pm
TTP spokesman is true in one context as he said NO ONE HAS CONTACTED THEM EVEN FROM JIRGA side for any typed of peace talks ... point is its the politocal govt who should nominate some one credible to open dialogue with TTP and see what they say ... Otherwise it will remain as passing of comments on to each other and not doing any thing on ground ...... And military will keep losing its main figures one by one which have no replacement with any number of killings on militants side ....
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Sep 18, 2013 02:29pm
I never supported military hegemony anywhere in the world. The stance of the TT is not conducive to any kind of talks. A legitimately elected government can not go ahead and do something unless that was a part of the programme put forward before the people at the election. That is a crucial element of a democratic dispensation.
You can shout from the roof tops and proclaim democratic validity but it will never wash. A government of a democratic country looses its ligitimacy when it does something which is so important without a specific mandate from the man in the street.
To negotiate with any unprincipled entity is abhorrent. Especialy those who seek to alter the constitution of the country. Before any kind of interest in the negotiation, a democratic government must assertain two things: do they have the mandate for the proposition and secondaly do the other party accept the fundamental principle of the government i.e. the constition of the country.
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Sep 18, 2013 05:26pm
I don't know what we are waiting for they have killed our major general for God sake, war bursts if enemy soldier had done that to any other country.
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