Pakistan to prioritise Taliban talks in new security policy

Pakistan will give priority to dialogue with the Taliban militants in a new national security policy to be announced soon, the country's Interior Minister said on Sunday. The government had planned to initiate talks with the Taliban last month, however, a U.S. drone strike killed the Pakistani Taliban Chief, Hakimullah Mehsud, which led to the collapse of the process before it was to be initiated. Taliban refused to talk to the government and had also announced revenge attacks. The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says it will try to revive the stalled dialogue process with the armed militants. Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that the new national security policy will focus on the talks with the Taliban. He said talks with be a priority but there will be other options open to deal with the issue of terrorism. He told a news conference in Islamabad that the policy will help end terrorism in Pakistan as the country has been facing worst security problem over the past 12 years. He said Pakistan was the second country after Iraq that has suffered a lot due to terrorism. He said a draft of the policy has been prepared and will be presented to the federal cabinet for approval. Khan said the new policy will comprise three dimensions the first will be operational and the second strategic. The third part will be kept secret, he added. He said the government plans to set up one intelligence sharing center. The Interior Minister again criticized the United States for frustrating its plan of dialogue with the Taliban through the drone strike. He said the U.S. had promised not to carry out drone attack during the peace talks but it did not honor its commitment. He said the United States now insists that drone attack was not intentional but he thinks "it was intentional." Khan disclosed that he has banned entry of all foreigners into his ministry over security matters.