PESHAWAR: A delegation of 17 tribal elders and other individuals arrived in Kabul on Saturday to continue negotiations with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), just as a group of prominent religious experts left for home following talks with the TTP leadership.
After meeting with the TTP leadership and the Afghan Taliban, the eight-member delegation of ulema’s, led by Mufti Taqi Usmani, has returned from Afghanistan.
According to a source familiar with the ulema's delegation, Mr. Usmani, who is respected by both the Afghan Taliban and the TTP, was able to persuade the militant group that he had reviewed Pakistan's Constitution and found nothing that could be interpreted as being against Islam.
The source called it a significant breakthrough. Neither Mr. Usmani nor the TTP nor the government made any official comments.
The source claimed that the terrorist group brought up the ex-Fata merger once more, but Mr. Usmani informed the TTP leadership that as a religious scholar, he only address religious issues.
While the TTP issued a two-page statement reiterating its demands and calls for an Islamic system in Pakistan, Mr. Usmani expressed optimism in a tweet that their meetings with the leadership of the Afghan Taliban were beneficial in fostering relations, restoring peace, and achieving shared objectives between the two countries.
Mutfi taqi Usmani indicated further information [about the negotiations] would be given later but made no mention of their conversations with the TTP leadership. Unverified reports claim that the delegation received a charter of demands from the TTP.
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