The peace negotiations have began as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) intermediaries and the government negotiators reached North Waziristan to meet the TTP Political Shura on today as par news reports.
The negotiators travelled to Miranshah via a helicopter from Peshawar and then proceeded to an undisclosed location to meet the TTP Shura. The meeting has previously been postponed twice due to bad weather.
The much-anticipated direct talks are being attended by all four members of the government’s reconfigured negotiating committee, TTP intermediaries and members of the TTP Shura.
The government committee consists of former ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Arbab Arif, Secretary Ports and Shipping Habibullah Khattak and Additional Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad.
While, the TTP intermediaries are Maulana Samiul Haq who is the head of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (Sami group), Jamaat-e-Islami’s Professor Ibrahim , and JUI-S spokesperson Maulana Yousaf Shah.
The government’s representatives demanded of the TTP to declare an indefinite ceasefire. It moreover called upon the TTP to release eminent prisoners as well.
