The growing internal disputes within the Pakistani Taliban are reportedly raising questions on the outfit's ability to continue peace talks with the government.
According to The New York Times, an eruption of violent rivalries and internal disputes in the past month has strained the militants' cohesion, cast doubt on their ability to make peace, and raised the prospect of a militant surge into Afghanistan.
After the American drone strike in November killed the group's commander, members of the militant group were embroiled in a heated debate on whether to go ahead with its fight against the Pakistan government or send more militants in Afghanistan since US announced the withdrawal of its troops.
The debate soon culminated into a violent fight between rival Taliban commanders in the hills of Waziristan, leaving nearly 40 militants dead and exposing the level of internal conflict within the group.
Asad Munir, a retired army brigadier and former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency's Peshawar office said that the government will know where the Taliban stand when they put their demands on the table, adding that he was not hopeful since there are so many complications.
He averred that he did not think that the talks will eventually succeed.
