Pak hardline party chief vows to mediate in Taliban talks if agenda made clear

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Munawar Hasan has said he is willing to act as a mediator between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), if both parties made serious efforts towards dialogue.

According to the Express Tribune, Hasan's statement came shortly after the TTP announced that they are willing to negotiate with the government earlier in the day.

TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid had recommended that Hasan and Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islami Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman should act as intermediaries to their talks with the government, the report said.

Hasan said that the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will prepare a joint working paper to ensure result-oriented talks with Taliban, adding that the Taliban also needed to be clear about their objectives.

He said the United States wants to hold talks with the Taliban yet is indirectly leading Pakistan away from negotiations and forcing them to engage with Taliban militarily, the report added.