PESHAWAR, Nov 28: Laying stress on efforts for starting dialogue with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged newly appointed army chief Gen Raheel Sharif on Thursday to evolve a mechanism for eradicating militancy and restoring peace.

“There is need for a new strategy for handling militancy in the region, particularly in tribal areas,” Maulana Fazl said while talking to journalists after presiding over a session of a tribal jirga at his party’s secretariat on Thursday.

Elders from the seven tribal agencies and six frontier regions attended the jirga.

The JUI-F chief said the government and other stakeholders should work out a mechanism for peace talks with the Taliban.

He had convened the jirga to discuss the situation arsing out of the killing of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone attack which stalled the process of initiating the dialogue.

TTP’s new chief Mullah Fazlullah has refused to hold talks with the government after Hakeemullah’s death on Nov 1.

The government acknowledged that the killing had adversely affected efforts for talks and blamed the United States for derailing the peace process.

According to sources, Maulana Fazl sought suggestions from the tribal elders for steps to be taken to restart the peace process.

He said the government’s lukewarm response to the jirga’s efforts for starting negotiations had disappointed the elders, adding that the government was yet to work out a plan.

He said an all-party conference held in Islamabad in February and attended by leaders of the mainstream political parties had authorised a grand jirga to initiate dialogue with the TTP.

“A joint declaration of the grand jirga is the most effective tool for ending violence and restoring lasting peace in Fata,” he said.

He said the tribal elders had expressed concern over the US drone strikes aimed at sabotaging the peace process in the region.

He said the jirga had demanded that the government should take effective measures for getting US drone attacks stopped.

When asked about the Taliban’s refusal to start the talks, he said neither the TTP nor the government had opposed the jirga. He said the Taliban had welcomed the jirga and expressed willingness to resolve issues through dialogue.

The main objective of the jirga was to build confidence between the two sides and facilitate talks, he said.