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Detention of terrorists’ women and children by security forces : Army brushes aside Taliban allegations
* ISPR says women and children never detained * Baseless accusation by TTP a propaganda to divert attention from their blatant and dastardly acts of terrorism
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Saturday categorically rejected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) allegations that their women and children were in custody of security forces.
Commenting on the factual position on the issue, an ISPR spokesman clarified that not a single women or child is in the custody of security forces.
He also made it clear that no women and children had ever been detained.
“These is a baseless allegation levelled by the TTP and hence a mere propaganda to divert the attention from the real issue of their blatant and dastardly acts of terror across the country,” the spokesman said.
The Taliban had alleged that their women and children were in custody of the armed forces and had demanded their release as a pre-condition for talks.
The ISPR’s statement came days after government-sponsored peace talks with terrorists broke down over the killing of 23 FC soldiers by Mohmand faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Pakistani fighter jets also bombed suspected terrorist hideouts in the troubled areas on the Afghan border on Thursday, killing at least 40 people – in a possible indication that government was finally giving in to pressure from military as well as general public for a full-fledged action against Taliban.
The TTP, an umbrella group of numerous militant factions, has been waging a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state since 2007, carrying out a number of bomb and gun attacks.
Government mediators have set ceasefire as a precondition for another round of talks but Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the TTP, on Friday blamed Islamabad for the deadlock and asked the state to declare a ceasefire first.
Shahidullah Shahid said the government has started the war when it should have initiated a ceasefire.
“We have been fighting a defensive war for 10 years,” Shahidullah Shahid told a press conference, adding that the government should stop the operation immediately.
Shahid said that the Taliban still wish to engage in peace dialogue to solve the country’s problems. “We were ready to talks before and are ready now,” he stated.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk