TTP refuses to lay down arms, says Nawaz has no authority September 29, 2013 The News

ISLAMABAD: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan says Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has no authority to hold dialogue with militants and claimed that the authority only lied with the military and the United States, Geo News reported. TTP spokesman said in an interview with a local magazine that the militia will consider holding talks if the government took some measures to prove its authority. “When he was in Pakistan he was saying one thing, now when he has gone to America he is talking about preconditions for talks,” Shahidullah Shahid was quoted as saying. The Taliban spokesman said that Nawaz Sharif talked about preconditions and had proved that he had no authority. He categorically said that there would be no need to hold talks, if the Taliban were willing to lay down arms and accept the Constitution of Pakistan. The TTP spokesman demanded of the government to withdraw army from tribal region, release militants and stop drone attacks for confidence-building measures. He insisted that the prime minister could have stop the drone strikes forcibly if he had any authority, when asked Nawaz Sharif told UN General Assembly that he urged the US to stop attacks.