ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said Pakistan would soon be contacting the Interpol for the handing over of Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, a senior commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) recently captured in Afghanistan, DawnNews reported.

The Taliban commander was captured on Monday by Afghan intelligence personnel in a border area and the Foreign Office had on Thursday asked the Afghan government to hand him over to Pakistan.

On the issue of dialogue with the TTP, Malik said the Pakistani Taliban had been speaking of holding talks with the government but did not appear serious on the matter.

The minister advised the TTP to adopt the path of peace and to constitute a team which could be delegated the task of holding a dialogue with the government.

Malik moreover said that the armed forces and intelligence agencies were doing an outstanding job and requested political leaders to refrain from suggesting intelligence failures in the wake of terrorist attacks.

He said the principal target of the insurgents was Islamabad and added that the government would act with full force against those involved in terrorist activities in Balochistan.