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| Pakistanis Said to Meet With Taliban to Lay Groundwork for More Talks | Pakistanis Said to Meet With Taliban to Lay Groundwork for More Talks |
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| PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A Pakistani government delegation met face-to-face on Wednesday with representatives of the Pakistani Taliban for the first time since efforts to open talks were derailed in February, officials said. | |
| The meeting, at a secret location in Pakistan’s restive tribal region, was mostly to iron out logistical issues for further talks, and the sides also discussed extending a cease-fire in effect over the past month, according to a Pakistani official with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. | The meeting, at a secret location in Pakistan’s restive tribal region, was mostly to iron out logistical issues for further talks, and the sides also discussed extending a cease-fire in effect over the past month, according to a Pakistani official with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. |
| The government delegation was said to include four current or former officials, who flew by helicopter to a village in North Waziristan, a center of militant operations. The Pakistani official said the Taliban delegation included Maulana Samiul Haq, an influential cleric and founder of a radical madrasa who had been involved in earlier efforts to start talks. | |
| The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had sought for months to open talks, hoping to negotiate an end to the militant violence said to have killed tens of thousands of people over the past decade. But the effort came under heavy criticism as Taliban militants staged a heavy barrage of attacks even while saying they were open to negotiations. | The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had sought for months to open talks, hoping to negotiate an end to the militant violence said to have killed tens of thousands of people over the past decade. But the effort came under heavy criticism as Taliban militants staged a heavy barrage of attacks even while saying they were open to negotiations. |
| In February, the Pakistani military conducted a series of heavy airstrikes on suspected militant sites in the northwest, and the government threatened to start a full military offensive if terrorist attacks continued. | In February, the Pakistani military conducted a series of heavy airstrikes on suspected militant sites in the northwest, and the government threatened to start a full military offensive if terrorist attacks continued. |
| The Pakistani Taliban responded by offering a cease-fire, opening the door for the initial meeting on Wednesday. Though there have been attacks during the truce, they were said to have been carried out by breakaway groups. | The Pakistani Taliban responded by offering a cease-fire, opening the door for the initial meeting on Wednesday. Though there have been attacks during the truce, they were said to have been carried out by breakaway groups. |
| One persistent question about whether negotiations can work to end the violence centers on the factional nature of the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is often described as a federation of militant organizations, prone to factional violence and disputes in its ranks. Still, over the years, the Pakistani Taliban have succeeded in consistently waging deadly attacks across the country, all in the name of overthrowing the government and military leadership and establishing an Islamist state. |