ANP will continue efforts for peace

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday said the Awami National Party would continue efforts for return of peace no matter how the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) reacts to the recently held All Parties Conference (APC) declaration. “In fact certain internal and external forces favour continuation of violence and terrorism for meeting their nefarious designs,” the KP minister told Pakistan Today. Leaders of the TTP have reportedly rejected the APC declaration, demanding guarantee of armed forces instead of political forces during negotiations with the government. Due to a lack of media access, the TTP reaction could not be confirmed. Hussain neither confirmed nor rejected reports regarding reaction of the TTP to the APC declaration. To a question, the information minister said that besides pressure of internal and external forces, there existed rifts among ranks of the Taliban. Some of them considered their survival in violence and terrorism and were fuelling tension and violence, he added. Hussain, however, made it clear that the ANP would continue efforts to bring an end to terrorism and violence. He said that after a failure of political means, the ANP would again approach the APC components for future course of action.