KOHAT, March 15 The ten-member peace committee representing Taliban will hold a jirga in the next few days to finalise modalities of a peace agreement before the expiry of the unilateral ceasefire on March 30, official sources told Dawn.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Darra Adamkhel had announced a unilateral ceasefire effective from March 15 on the request of the tribesmen suffering due to the military operation for the last three years, officials said on condition of anonymity.

However, according to sources, the government and the military gave a lukewarm response to the offer and demanded handing over of high profile Taliban commanders involved in the killing of security personnel, police and destroying schools and checkposts.

The political administration was waiting for a reply from the security forces which fully controlled the semi autonomous tribal area of Frontier Region of Kohat. The military had not yet taken the unilateral ceasefire announcement seriously and any decision to initiate talks with the militants would be taken at the highest level by the federal government through the NWFP governor.

It may be recalled that an agreement had been reached between the militants and the local administration last summer through the emissary of NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani. But the talks broke down when the agreement was about to be finalised and the security forces re-launched the operation in Darra Adamkhel.

The sources said that the situation and terms and conditions would be very tough from both sides this time. The Taliban had not only slaughtered a Polish geologist but had also kidnapped and murdered many officials since the operation was launched in the area.

The political agent of FR Kohat, Siraj Ahmed, said that Taliban must provide guarantees not to attack commuters and government property in future or else the elders of the peace committee would be held responsible and could be penalised under 40 Frontier Crimes Regulations.

The political administration while distancing itself from the new development said that they could only take action against the tribes on whose soil the militants launch attacks at the security forces and harm the travelers on the Indus Highway.

There are reports of more than four very high profile Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in the custody of security agencies whose release had become a major bone of contention between the two sides and resulted in the death of Polish national.

Similarly Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Darra Adamkhel had dozens of policemen and army officials and civilians in their custody and had already taken hundreds of precious lives during the war.

A member of the ten-member peace committee told Dawn on Sunday that so far there was a deadlock in the discussions and they had very big challenges before them such as end to military operation, expulsion of US intelligence people from Pakistan, general amnesty to the militants and payment of compensation to the victims of the war.