Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, a member of the Taliban team, at a news conference in Islamabad Friday. (AP) Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, a member of the Taliban team, at a news conference in Islamabad Friday. (AP)

The Taliban has said it is fighting for implementing the Islamic sharia law in Pakistan and that was the purpose behind talks with the government.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said Taliban would not be waging a war against the government if there was ‘sharia’ in the country.

“The war we are fighting is for enforcement of sharia… and talks with the government we will be holding will be for the same objective,” Shahid was quoted as saying by BBC Urdu. Talking about the conditions put forward by government negotiators, he said those were being consulted upon.

He made it clear that any decision in this regard would be made after his meeting with TTP negotiators. The first round of talks between a four-member government team and a three-member Taliban committee started on Thursday amid deep scepticism over whether the dialogue can yield a lasting peace deal.

It ended with both sides charting a roadmap for future negotiations with the government team proposing that peace talks be pursued within the framework of the constitution of Pakistan. However, Taliban negotiator and Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz said Friday that the talks would have to be held under Islamic law.

Asked if enforcement of Islamic Sharia was possible with an already imposed Constitution in the country, TTP spokesperson said, “This is simple because the other party we are holding peace talks with claim that they are Muslim… and Pakistan was created in Islam’s name…so this task shouldn’t be difficult for any Muslim.”

“If we demand Americans to enforce Sharia in their country then it would be understandably difficult for them to do so but not for people who call themselves Muslims,” Shahid said. He said the TTP will hold a meeting with Taliban negotiators in the next four to five days in which further course of action would be directed to them.

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