Still hope left for peace talks: Pak Taliban negotiators

Pakistani Taliban negotiators today hinted that they were still in favour of talks, even as the peace dialogue between the government and the banned group remained suspended.
Maulana Samiul Haq, chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan's committee for peace talks with the government, contacted the militant group's shura to convey "some requests" on behalf of the committee, coordinator of the team Maulana Yousaf Shah said.
He stressed that details about the requests cannot be made open at this time. Shah said the nation will be kept in the loop about the shura's response.
Government negotiators on February 24 had an unpublicised "informal meeting" with the TTP intermediaries in the presence of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan even though the peace process remained suspended.

Shah said that in order to ensure successful peace talks, it was imperative that the government and the TTP should enter into a ceasefire.
Earlier, a media report said the Taliban had rejected Nawaz Sharif government's demand for an unconditional ceasefire.

Shah said a decision has not been taken about anything and they are awaiting further messages from the Taliban.
The government suspended a fragile peace process with the TTP last week after a Taliban faction executed 23 troops taken hostage in 2010. After the talks were put on hold, combat jets and helicopter gunships targeted militant hideouts in the restive northwest, killing nearly 100 militants.

The TTP has been waging a a bloody insurgency that killed some 40,000 people since 2007.