ISLAMABAD, Nov 13: The Minister for Defence Production, Rana Tanveer, has ruled out the possibility of talks between the government and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) within the next few months.

But Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has offered help to revive the peace process and said he would soon convene a tribal jirga somewhere in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) in this regard.

“At present talks with Taliban are not possible because they are angry over the killing of their chief Hakeemullah Mehsud,” the minister said in an interview with the BBC.

The government was waiting for conducive atmosphere for the talks, he said, adding that it would take a few months to normalise the situation.

Talks were not possible until Taliban cooled down, he said and expressed the hope that another attempt for opening talks could be made in two to three months.

The government believes that the recent killing of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in a US drone attack has widened the gulf between it and the militant organisation. It is unlikely that the TTP will agree to hold talks in future.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has blamed the US for disrupting the peace process by killing Hakeemullah Mehsud at a time when the TPP has agreed to join talks. “If drone attacks continue, the hope for a dialogue would be merely an illusion,” he said.

About the option of a military operation, Rana Tanveer said the government would avoid it and try to persuade Taliban to hold talks.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F chief has stressed the need to look for new ways to revive the peace process stalled in the wake of the killing of Hakeemullah Mehsud in a US drone attack.

A statement issued by JUI-F spokesman Jan Achakzai quoted him as saying that the jirga convened in February in Islamabad had the support of the national leadership and they would go back to that forum to seek new ideas for moving forward.

“Without involving the people of Fata, there can be no effective mechanism for talks with the Taliban,” Maulana Fazlur Rehman said. “The jirga will guide the government in its efforts for reconciliation.”

The “third party” should not be allowed to hijack attempts to seek peace and reconciliation, he said.

FATA LAWMAKERS: During meetings with President Mamnoon Hussain on Nov 4 and 12, some legislators from Fata offered their services to persuade Taliban to join talks.

“MNAs from Fata can play an effective role in their areas to reduce the gap between the TTP and the government,” MNA Bismillah Khan, who was among the parliamentarians, told Dawn.

He said the TTP had different factions in the tribal agencies and they could be approached by Fata parliamentarians with peace overtures.

In the wake of the killing of the TTP chief, he said, the tense situation in the tribal areas was not conducive for talks. “But, we believe that TTP leaders will act sagaciously and agree to hold talks because people of Fata want it.”

“We hope that the peace process will resume but it will take some time,” Senator Abbas Khan Afridi said.