Peace talks start between Pakistan, Taliban team

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Peace talks between the Pakistani government and representatives of the Taliban began on Thursday after a short delay, the first test for the government’s controversial initiative of seeking a peaceful resolution to the country’s bloody insurgency, officials said.

The talks were originally to be held Tuesday but were postponed after the government negotiators sought “clarification” about the identities of the Taliban’s negotiating team. The request angered prominent pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Samiul Haq, the leader of the Taliban team, who accused Islamabad of not taking the peace offer from the group seriously.