A pro-Taliban Pakistani politician says newly-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will discuss prospects for peace with Taliban during his upcoming visit to Afghanistan.
Muhammad Asim Makhdoom, a senior member of a pro-Taliban party said on Saturday that Sharif will discuss with Afghan President Hamid Karzai crucial issues related to talks with Taliban in Kabul next week.
Å“We have learnt through reliable sources that Mr. Sharif is scheduled to visit Afghanistan next week where he will primarily discuss with Mr. Karzai the core issues relating to talks with Taliban,” Pakistanâ„¢s daily Dawn quoted Muhammad Asim Makhdoom, Central Information Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Samiul Haq), as saying.
Sharif has called for peace talks between the militants and the government several times in the past.
Earlier, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman was quoted as saying that the militants might agree on a truce if Sharif’s government showed seriousness in holding the peace talks.
President Karzai has also formed a peace council to lead talks with the Taliban.
The council has been making efforts to initiate dialogue with discontented Afghans and militants who have engaged in warfare with the US-led forces and Kabul’s Western-backed government.
The US-led war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.
JR/SS
This article originally appeared on: Press TV