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Pakistani Taliban cancels ceasefire

A temporary ceasefire agreed to by the Pakistani government and the Taliban is no longer in effect, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan announced Wednesday.

By JC Finley
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) committee member and senior religious party leader Maulana Sami-ul-Haq (R) looks on as Special Assistant to Pakistan's prime minister Irfan Siddiqui (L) speaks during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housen in Islamabad, Pakistan on February 6, 2014. Pakistani government officials and Taliban representatives met for a first round of talks aimed at ending the militants' bloody seven-year insurgency. (UPI/Sajjad ALi Qureshi)
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) committee member and senior religious party leader Maulana Sami-ul-Haq (R) looks on as Special Assistant to Pakistan's prime minister Irfan Siddiqui (L) speaks during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housen in Islamabad, Pakistan on February 6, 2014. Pakistani government officials and Taliban representatives met for a first round of talks aimed at ending the militants' bloody seven-year insurgency. (UPI/Sajjad ALi Qureshi) | License Photo

ISLAMABAD, April 16 (UPI) -- The Pakistani Taliban announced Wednesday that it was cancelling the month-long ceasefire that was agreed to on March 1 and extended to April 10.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan -- or TTP -- issued a statement that blamed the Pakistani government for failing to respond to the ceasefire.

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TTP leader Umer Khalid Khurrsani said Wednesday that the Pakistani government hasn't demonstrated its seriousness about peace.

In late January, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced a peace talks initiative, telling the National Assembly that the government would "give peace a final chance" through negotiations with the Taliban and if those peaceful efforts failed, force would be taken to defeat "terrorism."

Peace talks broke down in March but representatives from both the government and Taliban met face-to-face on April 9.

The Pakistani government has not yet responded to TTP's announcement, Interior Ministry spokesman Danial Gillani said Wednesday.

[CNN]

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