Pakistani Parties To Meet To Discuss Taliban Peace Talks

Relatives and residents carry the coffins of bomb victims during a funeral procession of victims of a Peshawar bombing in late September.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Representatives from a dozen political parties in Pakistan are expected to gather to discuss the possibility of peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

The October 4 meeting in the northwestern city of Peshawar was organized by Jamat-e Islami, a pro-Taliban party that is part of the ruling provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Last month, the Pakistani government organized a similar meeting that ended with participants unanimously calling for peace talks with militants.

The prospect of peace talks with the militants has drawn a mixed response in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a spate of recent bombings in Peshawar that have claimed more than 140 lives.

The Pakistani Taliban has denied responsibility for the attacks.

Pakistan's top national security adviser, Sartaj Aziz, on October 3 said Islamabad was still keen on talks with the militants despite the recent attacks.

With reporting by AFP