The Pakistani Taliban will coordinate with Islamist activists at major seminaries in or near the capital, Islamabad, to launch attacks if the peace talks with the government fail, according to police officials in the twin cities.
The TTP called a ceasefire beginning on March 1 to facilitate the talks but it officially ended on Thursday. It is unclear if the ceasefire will be extended.
Police said in the report that two well-known seminaries would support the attacks in the capital and its twin city of Rawalpindi if the talks break down.
“If talks between the government and the Taliban fail …like-minded religious seminaries and mosques have been given the target of fully contributing in carrying out attacks,” police said in the report, which was prepared last month.
Militant fighters have set themselves up with activists at hardline mosques in Islamabad before.Police and government spokesmen declined to comment on the report but security officials who requested not to be identified said the information was correct. One police officer said 20 seminaries in Rawalpindi were being investigated for similar Taliban links.
A member of the Taliban leadership council said fighters were present in all major cities and would be “unstoppable” if the talks with the government broke down. “If the government attacks us in the tribal areas, we will kill them in the cities,” he said. “By the grace of Allah, the Taliban today are more united and present everywhere.The heads of the seminaries denied their involvement
