Hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that Pakistan was in talks with “some” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) groups in Afghanistan to “surrender”, a major group on Friday announced a 20-day ceasefire with the Pakistan Army.
In an audio message, Saddar Hayat, a senior commander of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the TTP, told his deputies to suspend “all kinds of operations” against the government forces, mainly in the North Waziristan region, until October 20.
He urged TTP commanders to “stay in their (respective) areas” until further orders, said Anadolu Agency. However, the Hakeemullah Mehsud group rejected the truce, urging its members to continue actions against the Pakistani forces.
In a statement, a TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani said the militant consortium had no “groupings” and denied that it had “announced any ceasefire anywhere.”
I do not believe in military solutions, says PM
In an interview with Turkish broadcaster TRT World earlier, PM had revealed that the Afghan Taliban were mediating between Islamabad and the TTP.
Can Pakistan PM Imran Khan convince the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to lay down arms? Here is what Khan had to say in an exclusive interview to TRT World’s Ali Mustafa in Islamabad pic.twitter.com/sHgWX66A1Y
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) October 1, 2021
“I think some of the TTP groups actually want to talk to our government for peace, for some reconciliation, and we are in talks with some of the groups,” PM had revealed.
PM added he does not believe in resolving issues through force.
“I repeat, I do not believe in military solutions. I’m anti-military solutions. I always believe that political dialogue is the way ahead which was the case in Afghanistan,” PM stressed, hoping that Pakistan would reach a peace deal with the TTP groups.
Pakistan’s two major opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have termed the government’s move of talking with the TTP as “dangerous”.