Will wait for Taliban to 'calm down' before resuming talks: Pak

Islamabad: The Pakistan government will wait for the Taliban to “calm down” in the wake of the killing of their chief in a US drone strike before restarting peace talks with the militants, Defence Production Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain said today. This process could take a few months, he said. “Taliban are angry at the moment…therefore, talks are not possible until they calm down,” he told BBC Urdu in an interview.  Hussain said he was hopeful that an attempt to restart peace talks would be made in a couple of months. “Military action would be used as a last resort as we want to give peace a chance…Despite Taliban’s rejection, we will continue pursuing the path of negotiations,” he said. The statement came after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday told the National Assembly that the government has virtually shelved its plan to hold talks with the Taliban. Former Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed by a US drone on November 1, shortly before a government team was to meet militants to discuss the peace process. The Taliban have threatened to carry out attacks to avenge Mehsud’s death. Replying to a question whether new Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah would agree to talks, Hussain said, “Yes, he is a man with a reputation of having strong opinions…but, let’s hope peace talks with him are productive this time around.” Speaking on the military leadership’s views regarding dialogue with the the Taliban, he said the government and armed forces have same views on the matter. “Both (government and Pakistan Army) are on same page and there is no rift among them,” he said. Hussain claimed the US was also supportive of the talks with the Taliban. He also backed the government’s stance that the US could have waited in targeting Mehsud through a drone strike. He said Pakistan was yet to receive an official reaction of the US government regarding the country’s protest on the matter. PTI