Pakistani politicians have backed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's calls to begin peace talks with the Taliban aimed at ending more than a decade of bloodshed.
Representatives from the main coalition and opposition parties who had met for an All Parties Conference (APC) asked the government to "initiate the dialogue" with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"We repose full confidence in (the) efforts of the Prime Minister in this behalf and call upon the federal government to initiate the dialogue with all stakeholders," said a resolution passed by the representatives.
The move came a month after Sharif called for talks with the TTP during his first televised address to the nation since taking office after winning elections in May.
Pakistan's army and intelligence chiefs also attended the conference, as did secular parties that made up the previous government which backed military operations against the insurgents.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Shahidullah Shahid, the main spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban, welcomed the move and said that a Taliban Shura (Council) would meet in next two days to discuss the issue.
"We welcome it, the government has for the first time shown seriousness in holding peace talks," Shahid said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Pakistan has initiated peace talks with the militants in the past.
But previous deals have failed and come under sharp criticism both domestically and by the United States for allowing the extremists space to regroup before launching a new wave of attacks.
Pakistan says more than 40,000 people have been killed in the country as a result of bomb and suicide attacks carried out by the Taliban and al-Qaeda-led militants who oppose Islamabad's alliance with the US and NATO in the war on terror.
