Pakistan-Taliban talks faltering: official

Pakistan

Pakistan-Taliban talks faltering: official

Close

Insurgents think laying down arms will be humiliating, the official said.

19 January,2012 03:13 pm

Exploratory peace talks between Pakistan and al Qaeda-linked Taliban insurgents have made little progress, a senior security official told Reuters on Thursday.The official said the group, seen as the biggest security threat to the strategic U.S. ally, had flatly rejected a demand that it work through tribal elders to reach a deal whereby fighters approach authorities and lay down their arms.They felt it would be humiliating, he said. The talks are not making progress.A total breakdown in talks, especially if it led to any new waves of Taliban suicide bombings or shootings, would likely make Pakistans civilian government -- accused of widespread corruption and ineptitude -- even more unpopular.