Negotiating with militants

Pakistan's government has refused to disclose the names of specific militant organizations it was willing to talk to. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said there would be no negotiations with militants "who held a Kalashnikov in one hand." He stressed that the minimum agenda for talks was that the militants surrender arms and come forward.

"We have received messages from banned outfits and militant organisations for reconciliation and we have conveyed these messages to our leadership," Malik told reporters in Quetta, capital of the Balochistan province, on Tuesday.

No success in eliminating militants

Pakistan is under mounting US pressure to eliminate Taliban and al Qaeda-linked safe havens and to launch an offensive against the Haqqani network, considered as a prime threat by the US.

The country held a meeting of all major political parties at the end of September, in which they agreed that the government must attempt to start peace talks. "Pakistan must initiate a dialogue with a view to negotiate peace with our own people in the tribal areas and a proper mechanism for this to be put in place," the government said in a statement issued after the meeting.

Increasing militancy

Islamabad has cut peace deals with the Pakistani Taliban in the past, but none of them have held. Critics say the agreements allow the militants to regroup and rebuild their strength to resume fighting against the government and troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has launched numerous offensives against homegrown militants in the lawless tribal areas, but despite repeated claims of success, Taliban insurgents have continued to pose a major security threat. On Monday, the Pentagon said cross-border attacks emanating from Pakistan against US-led forces in Afghanistan have increased since US troops killed Osama bin Laden near the capital Islamabad this year in May.

Agencies: AFP, AP / mg
Editor: Sarah Berning