Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has reportedly informed parliamentary leaders of different political parties that the government has started the process of peace talks with the Taliban. According to sources, during a meeting with the parliamentary leaders of different political parties held here at the chamber of Speaker National Assembly on Thursday, the Minister informed them about initiation of peace talks. They said the Minister further informed the leaders that the process had been started to finalise the agenda and modalities for holding formal talks with the Taliban.

Those who attended the meeting included Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, JUI-F leader Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Awami Muslim League (AML) head Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Khurshid Shah said that the proposed talks were delayed due to the killing of Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi and the suicide attack on a Church in Peshawar. The parliamentary leaders were told that there were 37 to 57 splinter groups of the Taliban operating in the country.

The opposition leader advised the government to adopt friendly attitude, saying that if the practice of not taking the opposition into confidence continued, it would eventually weaken the Parliament. He further said that during PPP's tenure, Rehman Malik tendered apology in the house as much as 21 times. "If the incumbent government continued to behave the way they did while being in the opposition, the Parliament would suffer, and ultimately everything would end," he cautioned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2013