Pakistani PM: Government serious in Taliban talks

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said his government is serious in talks with the Taliban to stop more bloodshed. Sharif was speaking to reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar a day after Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud said that the "government is not serious in talks and has not taken any practical step for the peace talks." Pakistan's parliamentary parties last month called upon the government to hold peace talks with the Taliban to find out political solution to the problem of violent extremism. Nawaz Sharif said his government will pursue the dialogue option as it will be a best way to stop more killings of the people. "We are sincere in peace talks and my government will prefer the option of dialogue," the Prime Minister said after showing sympathies with the bereaved families of those killed in recent series of deadly bomb attacks in Peshawar. He also received a delegation of Christian community who were also the target of two suicide bomb attacks on a church in Peshawar last month. The Prime Minister also announced establishment of a trust for the families of those killed in the church attacks. When asked about the Taliban's demand to end U.S. drone strikes before the talks, the Prime Minister said his government has been calling for an end to these attacks as it is against the country's sovereignty. "The drone strikes must stop as these are against the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan. No independent country could tolerate such violations of its territory," said Sharif. The Prime Minister directed the provinces to take strict and effective measures for eliminating the menace of terrorism, saying that a special law was being enacted to deal with terrorism- related cases. He said the proposed special law was already ready which would effectively tackle terrorism related cases in the court of law. " The culprits involved in terrorism would not escape the clutches of law," he added. He said the proposed law would put an end to the lacunas in the existing laws that go in favor of the accused as presently in such cases the accused were released on bail and due to lack of proper evidence in a weak case prepared by the prosecution.