Rehman Malik sends thank you note to Taliban

Al Qaeda linked Pakistani suicide bombers have apparently shifted their focus from their homeland to neighbouring Afghanistan, after having reached some kind of an understanding with the government in Islamabad.

A clear indication to this effect came on December 6 when Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik thanked the Taliban for maintaining peace during the Shi’ite ritual of Ashura and not staging terror attacks in the country, hence giving credence to earlier media reports that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has declared a temporary ceasefire with the PPP government in Islamabad to pave the way for peace talks. The anti-Shi’ite TTP had frequently bombed Shi’ite processions in Pakistan during Ashura in the past.

There have been unofficial reports in recent weeks of peace talks between the two sides, which have been refuted by both the Pakistani military and the militants.