Pakistan, Taliban Begin Peace Talks
Negotiators for the Pakistani government and the Taliban have met in Islamabad for a first round of talks aimed at ending the militants' bloody insurgency.
Thursday's meeting was aimed at charting a plan for future peace talks.
The Taliban demands include imposition of strict Islamic law, the release of its fighters from jail and the withdrawal of government troops from northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan. The region is known for harboring local and foreign militants.
The first round of talks began after a two-day delay when government officials failed to show up for a meeting.
"Talks on,'' Irfan Siddiqui, a government negotiator picked by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a text message from the meeting. He described the atmosphere as "cordial and friendly''.
Government negotiators have said they are not optimistic about the talks.
Several earlier efforts at striking peace deals with the militants failed to end the violence for long, only allowing them to regroup, recruit new fighters and strike back with renewed vengeance.
The Taliban insurgency has taken thousands of lives, as Taliban members battled for establishment of an independent, Islamic-controlled state.
The Pakistani Taliban continues to insist on hard line sharia law while the government has stressed the need to provide democratic freedoms.
Critics have accused Sharif's government of taking a weak stand against the Taliban in the past.
Pakistan's neighbours are watching closely, acutely aware that another failure to find a peaceful solution could further destabilize the region already nervous ahead of the expected pull-out of most foreign forces from neighboring Afghanistan.
fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-begins-talks-with-pakistanbased-taliban/1845574.html
Thursday's meeting was aimed at charting a plan for future peace talks.
The Taliban demands include imposition of strict Islamic law, the release of its fighters from jail and the withdrawal of government troops from northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan. The region is known for harboring local and foreign militants.
The first round of talks began after a two-day delay when government officials failed to show up for a meeting.
"Talks on,'' Irfan Siddiqui, a government negotiator picked by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in a text message from the meeting. He described the atmosphere as "cordial and friendly''.
Government negotiators have said they are not optimistic about the talks.
Several earlier efforts at striking peace deals with the militants failed to end the violence for long, only allowing them to regroup, recruit new fighters and strike back with renewed vengeance.
The Taliban insurgency has taken thousands of lives, as Taliban members battled for establishment of an independent, Islamic-controlled state.
The Pakistani Taliban continues to insist on hard line sharia law while the government has stressed the need to provide democratic freedoms.
Critics have accused Sharif's government of taking a weak stand against the Taliban in the past.
Pakistan's neighbours are watching closely, acutely aware that another failure to find a peaceful solution could further destabilize the region already nervous ahead of the expected pull-out of most foreign forces from neighboring Afghanistan.
fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-begins-talks-with-pakistanbased-taliban/1845574.html
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