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Pakistani army chief's latest statement buoys hopes for peace dialogue with Taliban to move forward - WORLD - Globaltimes.cn
Pakistani army chief's latest statement buoys hopes for peace dialogue with Taliban to move forward
Xinhua | 2013-10-14 16:01:48
By Agencies
The powerful Pakistani Army has reiterated its full support for the peace initiatives of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, buoying hopes for peace dialogue with the Taliban to move forward.
Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani in his speech before new Pakistani cadets on Saturday said that armed forces would throw its full weight behind the government's plan to hold peace talks with the Taliban.
"The national political leadership has adopted the path of dialogue to find out a solution to the problems. The armed forces will fully support the initiative," General Kayani said at Pakistan's prestigious Kakul Military Academy in the city of Abboatabad.
"The armed forces will be happy if a solution is found through dialogue," the army chief said.
Analysts said Kayani's assurance is significant in the wake of deadly attacks by the Taliban and the statement of the country's National Security Advisor who said that the talks have entered "a sensitive phase."
The army chief's remarks came just days after Prime Minister Sharif said that his government is "serious in talks" with the Taliban during his recent visit to the northwestern city of Peshawar, where three deadly bomb attacks killed nearly 200 civilians in few weeks.
The prime minister was reacting to a statement by chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud who claimed that the government has "not yet taken any serious step" to begin the peace talks. Mehsud, however, added that the Taliban will respond positively if the government moves forward.
The remarks of Gen. Kayani and that of Prime Minister Sharif as well as that of the TTP chief are considered as strong indications that things are moving towards right direction despite last month's Taliban bomb attack on an army convoy in the northwest.
The attack that killed an army major general triggered widespread condemnation of the militants and also raised doubts about the need for such talks.
The army's support for the Taliban talks is significant as it is one of the major stakeholders in the fight against the al-Qaeda remnants and the heavily-armed Taliban.
When TTP offered peace talks for the first time to the then government of Pakistan People's Party in February this year, the spokesman of the Taliban said that they want the army response since, according to him, the political leadership "is powerless" in dealing with such issues.
Analysts here said that it is to the credit of the current government and the military that the peace dialogue is alive despite the continued violence perpetrated by the Taliban.
Now that there seems to be a consensus from all sides to give peace a chance, the use of force could be avoided but at the same time the militants should do away with its pre-conditions, such as the withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the tribal regions and the release of Taliban prisoners, the analysts said.
Pakistani army chief's latest statement buoys hopes for peace dialogue with Taliban to move forward
Xinhua | 2013-10-14 16:01:48
By Agencies
The powerful Pakistani Army has reiterated its full support for the peace initiatives of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, buoying hopes for peace dialogue with the Taliban to move forward.
Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani in his speech before new Pakistani cadets on Saturday said that armed forces would throw its full weight behind the government's plan to hold peace talks with the Taliban.
"The national political leadership has adopted the path of dialogue to find out a solution to the problems. The armed forces will fully support the initiative," General Kayani said at Pakistan's prestigious Kakul Military Academy in the city of Abboatabad.
"The armed forces will be happy if a solution is found through dialogue," the army chief said.
Analysts said Kayani's assurance is significant in the wake of deadly attacks by the Taliban and the statement of the country's National Security Advisor who said that the talks have entered "a sensitive phase."
The army chief's remarks came just days after Prime Minister Sharif said that his government is "serious in talks" with the Taliban during his recent visit to the northwestern city of Peshawar, where three deadly bomb attacks killed nearly 200 civilians in few weeks.
The prime minister was reacting to a statement by chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud who claimed that the government has "not yet taken any serious step" to begin the peace talks. Mehsud, however, added that the Taliban will respond positively if the government moves forward.
The remarks of Gen. Kayani and that of Prime Minister Sharif as well as that of the TTP chief are considered as strong indications that things are moving towards right direction despite last month's Taliban bomb attack on an army convoy in the northwest.
The attack that killed an army major general triggered widespread condemnation of the militants and also raised doubts about the need for such talks.
The army's support for the Taliban talks is significant as it is one of the major stakeholders in the fight against the al-Qaeda remnants and the heavily-armed Taliban.
When TTP offered peace talks for the first time to the then government of Pakistan People's Party in February this year, the spokesman of the Taliban said that they want the army response since, according to him, the political leadership "is powerless" in dealing with such issues.
Analysts here said that it is to the credit of the current government and the military that the peace dialogue is alive despite the continued violence perpetrated by the Taliban.
Now that there seems to be a consensus from all sides to give peace a chance, the use of force could be avoided but at the same time the militants should do away with its pre-conditions, such as the withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the tribal regions and the release of Taliban prisoners, the analysts said.