TIMERGARA, Dec 12: The district administration and security forces put off launching an operation against the Taliban of the Maidan tehsil in Lower Dir after militants agreed to stop their activities in the area, informed sources told Dawn on here Friday.

The Lower Dir administration had given a warning six days ago to the Taliban to leave the area before Dec 10, otherwise an operation by security forces would be conducted in Maidan after the deadline, the sources said.

The district administration had taken the decision on a policy letter from the home department in Peshawar. After the warning, the Maidan peace jirga had started efforts to avoid any untoward incident in the area.

Talking to Dawn, jirga’s general secretary Prof Akram Khan said they had first contacted district administration and military officials and sought some time to resolve the matter peacefully, adding that they were permitted to hold talks with the Taliban.

He said a sub-committee of the jirga, comprising former MPA Saeed Gul, Manzoor Khan, Akram Khan and Amanullah, had held talks with Taliban representatives Maulana Shahid and Kokai Khan.

The committee, he said, had informed them about government’s resentment and told them that if they wanted to fight against security forces then people of Maidan would be asked to vacate the area. The Taliban leaders agreed to stop all kinds of their activities in the area, he added.

After the successful talks, the Taliban promised to free kidnapped people, including a girl, the jirga spokesman said. On Dec 10, the jirga met district administration officials and informed it about what it had achieved.—Correspondent