Pakistan Taliban 'open to peace talks'
Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud says ceasefire in Pakistan must include end to US drone strikes
Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud on Wednesday said he was still open to peace talks, but that the government has not taken any serious steps to start a dialogue.
Mehsud, who has a $5 million US government bounty on his head, said he would continue to target the United States and its allies and reiterated the demand that any ceasefire in Pakistan must include an end to US drone strikes.
“We believe in serious talks and we are ready to sit down for them, but the government has not taken any serious steps,” Mehsud said in a rare video interview with the BBC at an undisclosed location in the north-western tribal areas.
“The government has not formally made any contact,” he said.
We believe in serious talks and we are ready to sit down for them
“There is a set procedure for talks, that if one is ready for talks with the other side then they sit with each other and discuss the matters.”
The main Pakistani political parties last month backed a government proposal to seek negotiations with the militants, who have been waging a bloody insurgency against the state since 2007.