The Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s leader Hakimullah Mehsud has invited the Pakistani government to peace talks, saying he is eager for “serious talks” aimed at bringing peace to the nation’s tribal areas.
Hakimullah, who has led the TTP since 2009 and been falsely reported killed on at least eight separate occasions, insists that the recent Peshawar bombings were not conducted by the TTP, but rather by some other faction that aimed to fuel opposition to them.
Hakimullah insisted that the government needs to end the US drone strikes against the nation’s tribal areas and promised to guarantee the security of negotiators who enter the tribal areas for a peace jirga.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has made peace talks with the Taliban a key part of his early policy since his summer election. Though some Taliban factions have expressed support for the idea, the talks seem to be very preliminary so far.
