PESHAWAR: Central spokesman of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Shahidullah Shahid on Monday said that Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was unaware of the persons held in detention by security agencies, DawnNews reported.

In a statement issued to the media, he said that if the defence minister was unaware about the location of detention centres in the country, then how could he be informed about the number of people being held at such facilities.

Khawaja Asif earlier on Sunday had rejected a major demand of the Taliban — release of non-combatants – saying there were no women and children in the custody of security forces.

Pakistani Taliban leaders reportedly had handed over a list to their committee headed by Maulana Samiul Haq of more than 60 such people, who they say are in the custody of the armed forces.

The TTP spokesman further claimed that the secret detention centres in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and other areas of the country were an undeniable fact.

He added that after passage of the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) these "illegal and inhuman" centres were given legal cover and further questioned the number of missing persons Khawaja Asif had presented in court in abidance with the law.

Shahidullah also asked about the people over whose recovery the Supreme Court had threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the prime minister and defence minister.

He said that the government appeared to be confused over holding peace talks and wondered about the 'forces' who had signalled Khawaja Asif to put the dialogue process at stake.

He also said that as evidence of his claims, he had forwarded a list of non-combatants to the committee nominated by the militant organisation to mediate peace talks with the government.

Describing details of the list in a press conference on Sunday, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim Khan said the list included women, children and elderly people.

Prof Ibrahim and Maulana Yousaf Shah went to Miramshah recently for consultations with members of the TTP Shura.

The TTP spokesman also said that it was the committee's responsibility to investigate the list and if the issue progressed any further then the names of prisoners could be presented in this regard.

The dialogue process that started by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has entered its decisive stage now with the formation of a new government committee, comprised of bureaucrats, to mediate with the Taliban leadership.

The ongoing peace talks between the two parties struck an impasse last month after the Taliban-linked militants murdered 23 kidnapped Pakistani paramilitary soldiers.

The killings resulted in multiple targeted airstrikes by the military against suspected hideouts in the tribal northwest bordering Afghanistan.

The Taliban then announced a one-month ceasefire which was reciprocated by the government which halted its airstrikes targeting militants and their hideouts.