Pakistan Taliban 'declares ceasefire'

[bemildred]

Source: Telegraph.UK

---

"We are not attacking the Pakistan army and government installations because of the peace process," he said late Monday. The commander is close to Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban.

His statement adds credence to recent announcements by anonymous Taliban and intelligence officials that government intermediaries recently met Taliban commanders to talk about a possible peace deal. The government has not officially commented, and on Tuesday the Pakistani army denied it was involved in any talks.

The Pakistan Taliban, an umbrella grouping of militants allied with al-Qaeda and based in the northwest close to the Afghan border, has been behind many of the scores of bloody suicide attacks around Pakistan over the last 4 1/2 years. At least 35,000 people have been killed in the bloodshed.

The United States wants Pakistan to keep the pressure on insurgents and would likely be concerned about any effort to strike a deal. Many of its fiercest foes in Afghanistan, as well as al-Qaeda operatives from around the world, live alongside the Pakistan Taliban in North Waziristan.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8907157/Pakistan-Taliban-declares-ceasefire.html