Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has defended the government’s move to hold addresses with banned terror group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for “ accord”, saying the accommodations are for “ good Taliban”.
Rashid’s comments came after Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview with Turkish government- commanded TRT World news channel revealed that his government was in addresses with the TTP with the help of the Taliban in Afghanistan, drawing critique from politicians and victims of terrorism.
The TTP, ordinarily known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a banned terrorist organisation rested along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Defending the government’s move, the minister said the offer wasn’t for red hots who were responsible for bloodshed in the country, including the December 2014 holocaust in the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar which left over 150 people dead, Dawn review reported.
We know really well who’s good and who’s bad. Anyone who thinks we aren’t cognizant of that, he’s incorrect, he does n’t have sense,” he said.
The offer of declamations was only for “ good Taliban” and compromises on this were taking place at the “ top- rung,” he said.
He maintained that it wasn’t apt to fight with those who have surrendered to borrow peaceful lives.
The case of those who were involved in incidents like the APS is different. And the case of those who left the country for different reasons is different,” he said on Friday while responding to a question about the merit and procedure of addresses with the TTP.
“ We aren’t surrendering to anyone and this process is at a really early phase. No one needs to jump to conclusions at this stage.”
Prime Minister Khan on Friday offered remittal to the TTP supplied the militant organisation lay down arms, unmasking that the government was holding speeches with some groups of the outfit seeking hostilities.
The divulgence attracted a strong reply, generally from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which questioned the move to hold compromises with the TTP without taking Parliament into confidence, arguing that it would only add to the pain and grief of the families of the fatalities.
The TTP has been involved in motley attacks in Pakistan for another than a decade which killed thousands of people. The government is now trying to use the influence of the Afghan Taliban over the TTP to reach a peace deal and end violence.
