AP News | Feb 06, 2014

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Peace talks between the Pakistani government and representatives of the Taliban began on Thursday after a short delay, the first test for the government's controversial initiative of seeking a peaceful resolution to the country's bloody insurgency, officials said.

The talks were originally to be held Tuesday but were postponed after the government negotiators sought "clarification" about the identities of the Taliban's negotiating team. The request angered prominent pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, the leader of the Taliban team, who accused Islamabad of not taking the peace offer from the group seriously.

But the dispute was subsequently resolved, and state-run Pakistan Television showed negotiators from the two sides exchanging smiles as Thursday's meeting got underway in the capital, Islamabad.

The TV said the head of the government team, Irfan Sadiqui, told Taliban delegate Haq that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wanted to see an end to terrorism. In return, Haq assured his full support for the success of the peace process, the report said.

Sharif announced last month that his government wanted to pursue negotiations and named a four-member team led by Sadiqui, a journalist and an adviser to the prime minister. Also on the government was another journalist, a former spymaster and an ex-diplomat.

However, a spate of recent attacks has put pressure on Sharif to start a military operation against the Taliban in their support base in the country's northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Critics say several such peace initiatives in the past have failed and only emboldened the militants.

After four hours of talks, the two sides issues a joint statement Thursday, saying both sides had called for avoiding any steps that could disrupt the peace process.

"It is necessary for the success of the talks that all activities against peace and security should be ended," Haq told a news conference.

He said "the process of talks should not be a long one as the nation is waiting for good news. Therefore, this process should be completed in a short period."

Haq also said he had asked the government negotiators to arrange a meeting between the Taliban team and the prime minister, army chief and head of the intelligence agency so that issues could be discussed with them directly.

cont......http://townhall.com/news/politics-el...begin-n1790592