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Islamabad won't be coerced into accepting militant terms: Army chief
Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, says militants cannot coerce Islamabad into accepting their terms in the government-initiated peace process.
General Kayani made the remark in a statement on Monday following the killing of several high-ranking army officials and personnel in militant attacks in Pakistan's troubled northwest tribal region over the past few weeks.
He said that terrorists would not be allowed to take advantage of the militarys support for the political process, which has been initiated by Premier Nawaz Sharif.
While it is understandable to give peace a chance through a political process no one should have any misgivings that we would let terrorists coerce us into accepting their terms, Kayani said in the statement.
[The] Army has the ability and the will to take the fight to the terrorists, the statement added.
At least two senior military officers and a soldier were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the Upper Dir district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Sunday. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
The development also comes after senior pro-Taliban leaders gathered to draft a formal response to a recent offer of peace talks by the Islamabad government.
The meeting of the militant leaders was held in an unspecified location in the northwestern tribal region of Pakistan to draw up a formal response to the government.
The meeting came days after Premier Sharif called for peace talks with the pro-Taliban militant groups.
Pakistani political leaders also gathered for cross-party talks on how to tackle growing insecurity during new President Mamnoon Hussain's swearing-in ceremony last Monday.
Sharif has been an advocate of peace talks with the pro-Taliban militants since his election campaign, which ended in his May victory.
A pro-Taliban spokesman reportedly said in May that the militants might agree on a truce if Sharif and his party showed seriousness in holding the peace talks.
The TTP has also said the Islamabad government must release militant prisoners and withdraw troops from the group's tribal sanctuary ahead of any sustainable peace agreement.
However, pro-Taliban militants retracted the May posturing after a US terror drone killed their deputy chief, Wali-ur-Rahman Mehsud. The government offer to engage the militants in the peace talks is nevertheless in place.
The militants in Pakistan have carried out numerous attacks against security forces as well as civilians, and managed to spread their influence in various regions of the country, despite frequent offensives by the Pakistani Army.
Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, says militants cannot coerce Islamabad into accepting their terms in the government-initiated peace process.
General Kayani made the remark in a statement on Monday following the killing of several high-ranking army officials and personnel in militant attacks in Pakistan's troubled northwest tribal region over the past few weeks.
He said that terrorists would not be allowed to take advantage of the militarys support for the political process, which has been initiated by Premier Nawaz Sharif.
While it is understandable to give peace a chance through a political process no one should have any misgivings that we would let terrorists coerce us into accepting their terms, Kayani said in the statement.
[The] Army has the ability and the will to take the fight to the terrorists, the statement added.
At least two senior military officers and a soldier were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the Upper Dir district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Sunday. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
The development also comes after senior pro-Taliban leaders gathered to draft a formal response to a recent offer of peace talks by the Islamabad government.
The meeting of the militant leaders was held in an unspecified location in the northwestern tribal region of Pakistan to draw up a formal response to the government.
The meeting came days after Premier Sharif called for peace talks with the pro-Taliban militant groups.
Pakistani political leaders also gathered for cross-party talks on how to tackle growing insecurity during new President Mamnoon Hussain's swearing-in ceremony last Monday.
Sharif has been an advocate of peace talks with the pro-Taliban militants since his election campaign, which ended in his May victory.
A pro-Taliban spokesman reportedly said in May that the militants might agree on a truce if Sharif and his party showed seriousness in holding the peace talks.
The TTP has also said the Islamabad government must release militant prisoners and withdraw troops from the group's tribal sanctuary ahead of any sustainable peace agreement.
However, pro-Taliban militants retracted the May posturing after a US terror drone killed their deputy chief, Wali-ur-Rahman Mehsud. The government offer to engage the militants in the peace talks is nevertheless in place.
The militants in Pakistan have carried out numerous attacks against security forces as well as civilians, and managed to spread their influence in various regions of the country, despite frequent offensives by the Pakistani Army.
