Pakistani Taliban say still prepared for peace talks

Peshawar: The outlawed Taliban on Friday said it was ready for peace talks despite the bombardment of militant bases in North Waziristan tribal region, which it claimed was proof of the Pakistan government`s "insincerity". Speaking to reporters at an undisclosed location, Tehrik- e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the "war" was started by the government and it should take the lead in putting in place a ceasefire.

He said the TTP was ready for talks despite air strikes carried out in the tribal belt by the Pakistan Air Force. About 40 militants were killed when combat jets bombed Taliban hideouts in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal regions. The air strikes were sanctioned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a Taliban faction executed 23 troops abducted in 2010. The government earlier suspended a fragile peace process with the Taliban after news emerged of the killing of the 23 paramilitary personnel. But Shahid claimed the Taliban were "fighting in defence for 10 years" and said the government should stop its operation against the militants. The Taliban want to resolve issues through talks but the government was more focussed on establishing its writ and the supremacy of the Constitution which, he claimed, did not have a single element reflecting Islamic injunctions. The TTP is serious about dialogue and the negotiators representing it were more independent than those representing the government, Shahid said. Following a wave of attacks on security forces, the government decided that talks will only be held when the spilling of blood is stopped, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan quoted the premier as saying.