The opposition has lashed out at the government for its decision to hold talks with some groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) without consulting it and has called on PM Imran Khan to take the parliament into confidence.
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui called it “a very sensitive issue” and said that it was not appropriate to keep the opposition in the dark.
He also referred to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s move to include all stakeholders in the process of peace talks with militants.
“Negotiations in the Nawaz Sharif tenure were approved by the parliament,” he said.
He demanded the government immediately convene a session of the parliament to discuss the issue at length.
PPP: Meanwhile, People’s Party (PPP) leader Shazia Marri criticised the government, questioning the terms based on which it intended to forgive the banned outfit.
Marri said that the PPP “strongly condemned” such a big step by the government without taking parliament into confidence. She said that the prime minister’s statement had raised a number of questions.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman asked the prime minister whether he asked the parliament what we think about that.”
She also called the government to clarify in the parliament the terms under which talks were being held with the TTP.
PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bokhari called it a sensitive matter and demanded a parliament session to discuss it.
He called “pardoning the TTP rubbing salt to the wounds of martyred soldiers’ families.”
Bokhari criticised the premier for bypassing parliament and political parties on the TTP issue.
THE INTERVIEW: Prime Minister Imran Khan in his interview to TRT World said that he thought that “some of the Pakistani Taliban groups actually want to talk to our government. You know, for some peace, for some reconciliation.”
Replying to a question about talks with the TTP, he admitted that talks are ongoing “with some of them”.
He said that the Afghan Taliban are “helping”, in the sense that the talks are taking place in Afghanistan.
The premier said that these talks, for disarmament, if successful, will lead to the government “pardoning” them.
