ISLAMABAD: While the Jamaat-i-Islami has declined to become one of the guarantors to ensure that any talks between the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the government would be ‘fruitful’ as demanded by a TTP spokesman, the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F have said it will be “inappropriate” to make a comment at this stage.

“How can we become a guarantor (in the talks) when the government is not ready to implement even the resolutions of parliament,” JI’s Deputy Secretary General Farid Ahmed Piracha said when contacted.

A TTP spokesman had said in a video released on Sunday that talks could be held if chiefs of the PML-N, JUI-F and JI acted as guarantors and the government freed seven Taliban prisoners.

“We are in favour of talks because issues cannot be resolved without negotiations, but the JI cannot become a guarantorbecause we have nothing to do with the TTP and even they did not contact us to seek our opinion,” Mr Piracha said.

JUI-F leader Senator Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani told this correspondent that although the leadership of his party was yet to discuss the matter, he was of the opinion that all issues should be resolved by jirgas.

“Jirga elders know how to resolve such issues and how to implement decisions. Both the government and the TTP should give a guarantee to a grand jirga to implement its decisions in their true spirit and then they should take part in the jirga,” he said.

“I am sure that if the issue is resolved by a jirga it will never rise again,” he said.

PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said it was not appropriate to make any comment on the basis of a video which lacked authenticity.

However, he said the PML-N wanted the government to fully implement the resolutions of joint sessions of parliament.