Pakistani PM: Talks with Taliban start

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Thursday that talks with Taliban militants have started to stop bloodshed. Sharif made comments in his meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in London. "The Prime Minister informed that the dialogue with the Taliban has started," the PM office said in a statement. The statement quoted Sharif as saying that his government could not wait and see the innocent people and members of law enforcement agencies being killed in the streets of Pakistan. The government opted for the talks weeks after a parliamentary conference called upon the government to initiate talks with the Taliban to find out a political solution to the problem of terrorism and violent extremism. Sharif said the government was making its counter-terrorism forces and intelligence agencies fully capable to root out extremism and terrorism from Pakistan. "The enhancement of the capacity of the counter-terrorism forces was a part of different options to deal with extremism and terrorism," he elaborated. Sharif also briefed Clegg on the recently promulgated Protection of Pakistan Ordinance, saying that it was specifically prepared to deal with those terrorists who were waging war against the people and the state of Pakistan. Clegg told Sharif that his government was full of admiration for his proactive approach of reaching out to India before and after elections. He assured that the UK would fully support Pakistan's case for GSP Plus in the EU market. Clegg also appreciated recently introduced economic reforms agenda by Pakistan.