ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif exchanged views here on Monday on the security situation and peace talks with militants.
The meeting took place as the teams nominated by the government and the TTP prepared for the talks.
Officials said that the meeting was meant for “exchanging views on matters relating to national security and law and order situation in the country”.
The prime minister has recently been regularly holding consultation with the army chief over the government strategy for addressing the problem of militancy.
They last met a day before the prime minister, in a speech in the National Assembly, renewed his offer of talks to militants and formed a four-member committee for the purpose.
While renewing the offer for peace talks, Mr Sharif had emphasised that attacks by militants must cease. “Peace talks and attacks cannot go side by side,” he said in the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, reports coming from the army strongly indicate that the TTP threats against the military had not receded despite the government’s fresh call for talks.
Three rockets were fired on the Bannu Cantonment on Sunday morning and two soldiers were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Ladha (South Waziristan) on Monday.
Troops foiled attacks on the Punjab Regimental Centre and Police Station in Mardan and arrested two TTP terrorists identified as Zakirullah and Faiz. Explosives were reportedly recovered from them.
Gen Sharif, according to a source, pointed out to the prime minister that despite the TTP's apparent readiness to get involved in peace dialogue the militant group was still targeting troops. This, Gen Sharif emphasised, was unacceptable. The army has always expressed scepticism about the TTP's sincerity towards any peace initiative.