MIRAMSHAH, Sept 28: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has said that withdrawal of the army from the tribal areas, cessation of drone strikes and release of prisoners are prerequisites for peace talks with the government.

“The government should pull out army troops from the tribal area and halt US drone strikes before starting talks,” he said while talking to Dawn by phone on Saturday.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in New York that the Taliban would have to lay down weapons before peace talks.

“Nawaz Sharif has made this demand at the behest of John Kerry,” he alleged, accusing the prime minister of misleading the Taliban and the nation.

The Taliban spokesman said the government should “stop US drone attacks by force” instead of adopting an “apologetic attitude”.

The government is not sincere in talks with Taliban because it is powerless and untrustworthy.”

He alleged that the government had killed 12 prisoners whose bodies had been found in Upper Dir. The Taliban had carried out attacks on police in Pishin, Balochistan, to avenge the prisoners’ killing, he said.

The spokesman parried a question about PTI chairman Imran Khan’s proposal that the Taliban should be allowed to open an office in the country.

He also denied reports that Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Afghan Haqqani network was presiding over shura meetings of the TTP., The group’s chief, Hakeemullah Mehsud, always chaired TTP meetings, he added.