Parties supporting Taliban talks backtracked: Imran

KHUSHAB: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan Wednesday lamented that the parties which had agreed to the idea of holding peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban have backtracked. “All the political parties of the country had unanimously endorsed the proposed dialogue with the Taliban but now they have stepped back from their stance,” he complained while addressing a public rally here. He said all the parties with the exception of PTI ‘have turned a somersault’ at the idea of peace talks with the Taliban. Criticising the performance of State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, Imran said he (the minister) should tender resignation over his failure to rein in electricity theft. He reiterated his party’s demand that the administrative control of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) be handed over to the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunwa government. “The person who is hurling accusations of electricity theft should tell us who enjoys the control over PESCO,” Imran asked without taking any name, adding, ‘since Abid Sher Ali failed to put a curb on electricity theft he is himself responsible for the problem and he should resign’.