Pak`s JUI-F rules out role in peace talks with Taliban

Islamabad: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman has ruled out the role of the party in peace talks with the Taliban, stating withdrawal of the talks offer, and disinterest of military establishment in talks as the reason.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Rahman said neither has there been any contacts, nor has the government approached the JUI-F regarding the talks, reports The Nation. The Pakistani Taliban refused to participate in peace talks with the country`s new government and vowed to take `revenge in the strongest way` after Wali ur-Rehman, the second-ranking leader of the group, was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike. Taliban`s chief spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said that the government has failed to stop drone strikes, so they have decided to end any talks with the government. He added that they will continue attacking in Pakistan. According to media reports, U.S. officials had blamed Rehman, who was the chief deputy to Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, for a series of bloody cross-border attacks against U.S. and NATO personnel in Afghanistan, including a 2009 assault that killed seven Americans at a CIA facility. (ANI)