by Masroor Gilani*

Taliban militants are ready for peace talks with Pakistan's new government, a rebel spokesman said yesterday, after opposition parties trounced President Pervez Musharraf's allies in elections.
But the spokesman quoted Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud -- who is accused by Pakistani officials of masterminding the slaying of ex-PM Benazir Bhutto -- as warning the incoming administration not to take them on.
The statement comes amid concerns in Washington about what the victory of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the party of former premier Nawaz Sharif in Monday's vote means for the "war on terror".
"The Taliban movement welcomes the victory of anti-Musharraf political parties in the election and announces its willingness to enter into negotiations with them for bringing peace in the restive tribal area," Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar said, quoting a statement by Mehsud.
"Taliban are ready for negotiations with the political parties as long as they do not re-impose war on them. If they do so, then Taliban will continue their activities against them," Omar told journalists in Peshawar by telephone.
The PPP and Sharif's party agreed on Thursday to form a coalition but are still hammering out their policies on the future of Musharraf, a key US ally, and on how they will deal with mounting Islamic extremism.
Hundreds of people have died in months of clashes with Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal regions near the Afghan border, while the country has been hit by a wave of suicide attacks over the past year.
The most high-profile bombing killed Bhutto at a political rally on December 27. The Pakistani government said Mehsud orchestrated the killing and accused him of links to Al-Qaeda, but he has denied all involvement.
In the latest violence, three security personnel and at least one Taliban militant were killed after dozens of rebels attacked a security post yesterday on the outskirts of Peshawar, which lies near the Afghan border.
Omar said the opposition victory was also thanks to the Taliban's activities "by giving their blood and as a result of which people rejected US and Musharraf policies and gave victory to their opposing political forces."
Omar sporadically speaks to journalists by telephone saying he is a spokesman for Islamist Taliban groups operating in the region. There is no way to independently verify his claim.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party responded to the Taliban statement by saying that military solutions alone would not end Pakistan's problems with extremism.
"We hope that we have a new chance and new opportunities now... There has to be a political solution coupled with social and economic uplift," party spokesman Ahsan Iqbal said.
"Our stance is that General Musharraf has mishandled the situation to stay in power. We feel that if Musharraf steps down, half of the terrorism would end."
If a PPP-led coalition manages to muster a two-thirds majority in parliament, it could seek to remove Musharraf, either by impeaching him or having his election as president last year declared illegal.
The PPP said yesterday it was considering working with the Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was part of the pro-Musharraf coalition that ruled from 2002 to 2007 and enjoys large support in southern Sindh province, a traditional PPP stronghold.
"The Pakistan People's Party wants to take all political forces along to form the government and is discussing the possibility of cooperating with the MQM," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
"Consultations are going on within the party and there are different opinions about whether to co-operate with MQM or not, but nothing has been finalised," Babar said.
But while Sharif has been pressing for Musharraf's ouster, the PPP is more coy on its plans for the president, whose popularity has slumped as basic commodity prices soar and Islamist violence intensifies.
"You cannot impeach him right now because you don't have two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and the Senate. Since we cannot do it now, there is no need to say anything about it," Babar said.

*AFP