Fawad defends PM on TTP talks after interview sparks ‘discussions’

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has defended Prime Minister Imran Khan for his statement about talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In a video statement on Friday night, Chaudhry admitted that the prime minister’s remarks had led to “a lot of discussions” over social media.

“So, it is important that the background of [the statement] is presented before you. The state of Pakistan has gone through a river of fire and blood. We have sacrificed thousands of people. As a result of these sacrifices, we have defeated terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda on the one hand and eliminated India’s sinister designs on the other.”

He said Pakistan stood stronger than ever before and needed to move on.

The information minister said there were people who had failed to honour their allegiance with the state of Pakistan under “certain circumstances” but now they wanted to return to honour this allegiance.

Chaudhry said at least 3,000 insurgents have laid down arms in Balochistan.

“Similarly, the TTP has several factions within it, and these factions comprise of people who want to honour their pledge of allegiance to Pakistan.”

 The information minister said these people were interested in leading peaceful lives under the constitution of Pakistan and the PTI government believes that the state should give them a chance to return to the mainstream.

He said the prime minister had outlined certain principles in his TRT World interview. Under these principles, the PTI government, working within the limits imposed by the constitution and law, wanted to bring into the mainstream the people “who once parted ways from Pakistan under their peculiar circumstances.”

PM’s statement criticized

In an interview with TRT World, Prime Minister Imran Khan has explained why he wanted to engage the banned outfit in talks.

“I do not believe in military solutions,” the PM said. “I’m anti-military solutions. So I always believe, as a politician, political dialogue is the way ahead which I always believe was the case in Afghanistan.”

His statement drew strong reactions from the opposition parties and some journalists.

Pakistan People Party’s Senator Sherry Rehman questioned how the government would “give amnesty to the people who killed children at the Army Public School, how will you give amnesty to the people who have been responsible for the murder and assignation and martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto.”

Speaking on the floor of the house, she also said the government should have taken parliament into confidence over talks with the TTP.

Rehman, later, asked the same questions on Twitter.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s Mohammad Zubair, former governor Sindh, said “Actually [Imran Khan is] saying TTP was right all along. We were wrong in picking up arms against them.”

Zubair retweeted journalist Talat Hussain who asked if former military chiefs from Gen Pervez Musharraf to Raheel Sharif were wrong to launch operations against the TTP.

Several other Twitter users raised similar questions.

Gul Bahadur announces ceasefire

There were reports on Friday that Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group in North Waziristan has announced a 20-day ceasefire as it engaged in talks with the government.

However, another banned TTP spokesman was quoted by BBC Urdu saying that no ceasefire had been announced.

Gul Bahadur’s regarded a splinter militant group who have opposed attacks against Pakistani institutions for years, BBC Urdu says.

It said talks were also taking place with militant groups who have recently joined the banned Tanzeem Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.



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