PESHAWAR, Oct 25: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday hinted at holding talks with the Taliban on its own for peace in the province.

“The federal government has yet to inform us about peace process. We’ve been waiting for developments in this respect and deserve the right to begin talks with the Taliban on our own instead of keep waiting,” Information Minister Shah Farman told the provincial assembly here.

The minister said his government wanted the centre to inform it about the status of the proposed dialogue with the Taliban without delay as the province was worst affected by militancy.

Senior Minister Sirajul Haq said holding dialogue with the Taliban for peace was not on the federal government’s agenda list as it had so far shown no interest in it.“They (centre) are watching bodies falling in our province as a silent spectator and are indifferent to the hue and cry raised by victims of militancy,” he said.

The minister said his government would no longer tolerate delay in peace talks.

He said if the federal government failed to negotiate peace with the Taliban, then the provincial government would assume the responsibility.

“We (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) have suffered (by militancy) the most,” he said.

Mr Haq said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had enough time to travel abroad frequently but had no time to ensure restoration of peace in the country.

He said security situation in the region would continue to be delicate until Nato forces withdrew from Afghanistan.

Health Minister Shaukat Yousufzai said the provincial government was a major stakeholder in the peace process but was kept in the dark by the federal government about talks with the Taliban.

He said the recent all parties conference in Islamabad, where all political parties of the country were in attendance, had given mandate to the centre to hold parleys with the Taliban for peace in the country, but the centre was not reluctant to act accordingly.

Mr Yousafzai said the country didn’t need the US financial help and instead needed immediate end to drone strikes in its tribal areas for restoration of peace in the country.

Parliamentary leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Lutfur Rehman said he didn’t know why hurdles were being created to dialogue with the Taliban.

He said if the US could speak to Afghan Taliban, then why Pakistan couldn’t speak to local Taliban in own interest.

“It’s not necessary that we (provincial government) should wait for the federal government to begin peace process. Instead, we should speak to the Taliban on our own for early end to militancy in the province. It is our problem and we should try to resolve it ourselves,” he said.

The minister said his government couldn’t see its people kill in bomb blasts as a silent spectator.

“Our people are so terrified and sad at the same time that their faces tell it all,” he said.

Adviser to the chief minister and MPA Mushtaq Ghani asked why only the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being targeted by militants.

“What is our sin? Why are we being killed?” he said.

During the session, lawmakers paid tribute to former provincial law minister Israrullah Gandapur, who was killed in a suicide attack on Eid day.

They said they had lost a great parliamentarian, a good friend and a humane person in Gandapur.