PESHAWAR, Oct 31: Talks with militants will be held only if they lay down their weapons, says NWFP’s caretaker Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk.

He was addressing a 25-member jirga from the Malakand region at Frontier House here on Wednesday. He told the jirga that there was “no justification for infiltrators or people from other areas to intrude and create disturbance in Swat.

“We have reports that some foreign hands are disturbing the peace in Swat. We can sit with our own people for winning peace but we cannot do it with foreigners.”

The chief minister said the government had a clear stance that it did not want artificial peace. He reiterated that if government’s peace efforts were not resisted it would not even use police.

He assured that the government would look after the capacity-building of the Levies force and was thinking about announcing a package for the force. He wanted jirga members to interact with the Levies to thwart the infiltrators’ ability to create any problem

The government would find a solution to the problem in the light of the jirga’s recommendations, the caretaker chief minister said, adding that it would establish its writ at all costs and would provide durable peace to law-abiding citizens.

The chief minister said he had held talks with the jirga of Swat some days ago and the government would take steps in the light of the jirga’s recommendations that would be in consonance with the people’s aspirations.