The Pakistani Taliban has removed a key commander for welcoming a call for dialogue by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over ending bloodshed in the country.
Ismatullah Muaweea, the head of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) Punjab province chapter, had hailed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's offer, saying that the prime minister had shown maturity.
Sharif made the offer to extremists on Monday in his first televised address to the nation since taking office.
According to the Express Tribune, the TTP distanced itself from Muaweea's comments and said that the commander has no more role in the outfit.
Shahidullah Shahid, Taliban spokesman, said that the Taliban decision-making body met under Commander Hakimullah Mehsud and decided that Muaweea has no relation with the TTP.
Muaweea's response to Sharif's speech was surprising for many because the Taliban had earlier withdrawn their own offers for peace talks after one of their main commanders was killed in a US drone strike in the North Pakistan, the report added.
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