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No peace talks with Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Two days after a ban on the Tehreek-i-Taliban, an umbrella group of militant organisations, Pakistan said on Wednesday it had rejected a ceasefire offer by the group and asserted there would be no peace talks with terrorists.

“There will be no dialogue with the terrorists. We had sought dialogue with the tribal elders as a part of our strategy to address terrorism, but all our agreements have been violated and the terrorists continue to challenge the security of Pakistan. We are people’s representatives and we have been mandated by our people to eliminate terrorism,” said Information Minister Sherry Rehman at a press conference. Security forces are continuing operations against Taliban hideouts in Bajaur and Swat. On Wednesday, they claimed to have killed 50 militants in clashes across the tribal belt, including 11 in South Waziristan, where fighting seems to have erupted after a long quiet.

With the military using heavy air-power, reportedly including jets, over 3,00,000 non-combatants have reportedly been displaced from the tribal agency, creating a massive refugee inflow into Peshawar and other NWFP cities.

Separately, Rehman Malik, who functions as the Interior Minister, said the situation was improving in NWFP.

Mr. Malik said the government would take measures to ensure all the displaced people were back in their homes before the Ramzan month began in early September. He ruled out negotiations with militants but said local tribals would be involved in maintaining peace and order in tribal areas.

Ms. Rehman said the government had banned the Tehrik-e-Taliban under the Anti-Terrorism Act and “refused their offer for ceasefire.” The group had accepted the responsibility of last week’s two deadly attacks in Wah and Dera Ismail Khan, she said.

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