July 6, 2010 11:24 AM

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Pak rules out possibility of talks with militant groups?

<br/>The Pakistan government today ruled out the possibility of talks with militant groups, saying dialogue could not be held with terrorists who had attacked shrines and places of worship. <br/><br/>Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said, the government's '3D' policy of dialogue, development and deterrence will continue and it is prepared to hold talks with militants who accept the state's writ and surrender their weapons. He was briefing reporters after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met provincial Chief Ministers to review the security situation in the wake of last week's suicide bombing of the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore. He said, the government will hold consultations with all stakeholders to frame a policy to tackle terrorism. <br/><br/>The Prime Minister had also cleared a proposal for reforming madrassa after holding further consultations with religious leaders. Mr Kaira described the terrorist attack on Data Darbar, which killed 45 people, as an attempt to ignite sectarian tensions. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said one of the two suicide bombers involved in the attack had been identified. <br/><br/>The trail in all attacks involving suicide bombers usually leads to the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. He said, banned groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had formed a nexus with the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda. He added that these groups were recruiting new members in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan and sending them to the tribal areas for training.

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