Peshawar, Dec 19 (PTI) No breakthrough was achieved on Monday in talks between the government and the Taliban militants, who seized a counter-terrorism centre and took some people as hostages in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province a day earlier, even as negotiation was underway to secure the safe release of hostages.
The standoff began on Sunday when an arrested militant, who was being interrogated at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station inside the Bannu Cantonment, snatched an AK-47 from the police and opened fire.
He then freed other wanted terrorists being held at the building and together they took control of the compound. They also took several policemen hostage.
At least two policemen were killed in the exchange of fire, prompting authorities to put the Army’s special forces on alert.
The situation in Bannu remained tense on Monday as police and security agencies cordoned off the cantonment area where the facility is located and asked residents to stay indoors. Internet and mobile phone services were also suspended in the area.
Special Assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the situation was at a standstill and there there was no breakthrough as yet, according to Dawn.com.
Saif said that he was constantly in contact with the Taliban.
“I spoke to the Taliban high-ups through the night,” he was quoted as saying. He admitted that talks had not been fruitful thus far.
He also confirmed that a security official was killed in the Bannu compound by the militants but did not elaborate further. He said the government had engaged the militants to avoid casualties.
The terrorists have demanded to call a local religious figure, Maulana Ahmed Ullah, for negotiations with the security forces. They also allowed a hostage to talk to their senior security officers on a mobile phone for coordination in the process.
Meanwhile, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issued a statement on Monday claiming that the prisoners have taken many security officers and jail staff hostage since last night and only want safe passage of the TTP prisoners either to South or North Waziristan tribal districts.
It said the attitude of the security forces since the beginning of the standoff indicates the forces are not willing to accept their demand and adamant on launching operations.
A TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, said they took this step after reports of inhuman attitudes of the security officers with their prisoners in the CTD police station.
“We talked to senior govt officials last night to shift TTP prisoners either to North or South waziristan but no positive response came in respect to our request yet.”
“The only way to protect the lives of the security personnel and jail staff of the CTD police station who have been made hostage is to shift the TTP prisoners to Waziristan tribal districts as per their demand,” the spokesperson said.
Otherwise, the responsibility for the damages would rest on the shoulders of the security forces, he warned.
The TTP prisoners have been told in plain words that in case they are not provided safe passage they would not surrender to the forces and will fight till last.
“Our only demand is safe passage for our men into Waziristan districts,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, the Special Service Group troops were put on alert for a rescue operation, if negotiations failed.
Mohammad Iqbal, the District Police Officer (DPO) Bannu, said that there was no attack from outside and one of the militants snatched the rifle from police during interrogation and neutralised the guards deployed at the building, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
“They are in control of the building and we have cordoned off the entire Bannu cantonment,” he added.
About 30 militants were reportedly involved in the takeover.
Earlier, a video released by the TTP militants from inside the CTD compound claimed that nine police personnel were in their captivity.
The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, last month called off a ceasefire agreed upon with the federal government in June and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.