Talks with militants within constitutional limits: Kayani

Keeping open the option of military action against banned militant groups, Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani today said any peace talks with them must be held within constitutional limits.
Kayani, set to retire next month after leading the army for six years, said the military fully backs the government's move to hold talks with militants.
There is an opinion that the government was forced to go in for talks because of the failure of military operations against militants but this is far from the truth, he said while addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad.

Though the use of force is the last option, the army is fully prepared to exercise this option if necessary, the 61-year-old army chief said. The army has the capability to mount a befitting response to the militants, he added.
Describing terrorism as a "big challenge" that goes against Pakistan's ideology and Islamic teachings, he said: "To deal with it, the national leadership chose the option of giving talks a chance. The Pakistan Army supports this move.
"The nation and the political leadership have to decide the limits for these talks...It is very important that this process leads to unity among the people and not divisions. It is necessary to find a solution to this problem within the Constitution of Pakistan."

Kayani pointed out that the army has made sacrifices in the war against terrorism and achieved key successes against militants. In this regard, he cited the 2009 operation to flush out militants from the northwestern Swat Vally when they moved to within 100 km of Islamabad.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered talks to the Pakistani Taliban after assuming office in June, a move that was endorsed by the country's main political parties last month.
However, the Taliban responded by killing a top general in a roadside bombing and setting preconditions for talks, including the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas.