ISLAMABAD, Dec 29: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied that the government has reached an agreement with local Taliban under which the latter will not create any trouble if troops are pulled out of tribal areas and deployed along the Pakistan-India border.

Talking to reporters after inaugurating the campus of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad on Monday, he said: “The government does not want to fight with the people in tribal areas, but cannot support the establishment of a parallel authority there.”

He said Pakistan was a peaceful and responsible nuclear state, and wanted to maintain good relations with all its neighbours, including India.

“It is in our own interest to have good relations with all neighbouring countries,” Mr Gilani said.

The prime minister said he had assured Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of full cooperation in investigations into the Mumbai terrorist attack. “We have offered India joint investigation of the Mumbai carnage but India has not provided any evidence,” he said.

He appreciated efforts being made by friendly countries to defuse the crisis.

About the situation in tribal areas, Mr Gilani said nobody would be allowed to challenge the government’s writ or to encourage militancy.

He said tribesmen were as patriotic as other Pakistanis and they had fully supported the Quaid-i-Azam after the establishment of Pakistan.