Pakistani Taliban Announces Ceasefire

Islamabad, Nov 23, IRNA – Pakistani Taliban Tuesday declared ceasefire with the government in a visible move towards dialogue to end the years of bloodshed in the country, local media reported. Nearly 35,000 people including 5000 security personnel, have been killed in Taliban suicide attacks, bomb blasts and military operations in Pakistan since the country has joined the U.S-led coalition. A commander of Taliban has been quoted as saying that the group has announced ceasefire and will not carry out attacks. The commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, requesting not to be identified, said the group has not carried out any attack since October. The announcement came just a day after a Taliban commander said that the group and the government have held preparatory talks with the government. The army and Interior Minister Rehman Malik Tuesday denied any talks have been held with the Taliban, The minister however said Taliban have sent positive signals for the talks. He also said Taliban should shun violence before the talks are held. A Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan also denied reports about the talks. He told reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar on phone on Tuesday that the U.S should stop attacks, Pakistan army must halt operation and Taliban prisoners be released before the talks are to be held. Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had offered talks to the Taliban in October after nearly 60 political leaders had advised the government to hold talks to the militants to end the years of violence in the country. Gilani had warned a military operation in North Waziristan if the talks are failed. Several senior TTP leaders had welcomed the talks offer and one Taliban leader had suggested mediation by Saudi Arabia to implement any possible agreement. Pakistani government has held series of talks and signed unofficial agreements with the security forces in the past. Most of the agreements collapsed which resulted into military actions. An agreement with the powerful Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar in North Waziristan tribal region is still working and both sides are not attacking each other. Bahadar, who controls most of the areas in North Waziristan, said on Tuesday his fighters will not oppose a road being built in the region but warned the locals that they would be killed as spies if they joined the construction work. /end