Pakistan says Taliban must lay down arms

Pakistan will not initiate a dialogue with the local Taliban unless they lay down their arms and give up terrorism, interior minister Rehman Malik said on Friday amid reports of secret negotiations between the government and militant groups.

Pakistan will not initiate a dialogue with the local Taliban unless they lay down their arms and give up terrorism, interior minister Rehman Malik said on Friday amid reports of secret negotiations between the government and militant groups.

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Any move by the Taliban to end its war voluntarily will be welcomed, Malik said.

Malik asked the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan to surrender their weapons and to refrain from "playing into the hands of the enemy".Pakistan had suffered losses of billions of dollars in its war against terror and the international community should realise this war was being fought to protect the world from the ravages of terrorism, he said.