LADDAH: A commander of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has said that his organisation has declared a ceasefire to the extent of Mehsud-dominated areas of South Waziristan to build confidence with the government for holding peace talks.

(A report by the Associated Press news agency quoted a senior commander as saying that the Taliban had declared a ceasefire to encourage nascent peace talks with the government. He said the ceasefire had been in effect for several weeks and was valid throughout the country.)

A close aide to Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the banned organisation, told this correspondent that the TTP had ceased all combat activities in October and had not been attacking security forces in Mehsud-dominated area of South Waziristan, ‘following talks with the government’.

“Now it depends on the government’s attitude. If security forces reciprocate the Taliban will not carry out attacks,” he said, adding that the declaration of ceasefire was a confidence-building measure.

Meanwhile, the military’s public relations wing, the ISPR, strongly denied reports about talks with the TTP. It said in a statement that the army was not holding any kind of negotiations with the TTP or its affiliated militant groups.

Such reports are concocted, baseless and unfounded, the ISPR said, adding that any contemplated negotiation/reconciliation process with militant groups had to be done by the government.

Security officials in Peshawar also played down Taliban claims about peace talks and ceasefire and termed it mere “feelers”.

On Monday also, the TTP had claimed to be holding negotiations with the government and tribal elders and that some retiredgovernment officials were facilitating the talks.

The situation in Mehsud area, the birthplace of TTP, has been comparatively peaceful over the past two months. However, there have been three attacks on security forces in the area since October 1 which left five soldiers dead and eight wounded.Pazir Gul adds: A militant commander in North Waziristan has sternly warned local people not to work with military engineers working on a road and other projects in the area.

A pamphlet distributed in Miramshah on Tuesday said the Shura Mujahideen North Waziristan had prohibited securing contracts and other privileges from the military in order to keep tribal people away from its influence.

It said the army had started building Bannu-Ghulam Khan Road, but local people would neither work on the project nor provide construction machinery. The pamphlet said that Mujahideen would not be responsible for security of these people.

Kalbe Ali adds from Islamabad: Interior Minister Rehman Malik welcomed the Taliban’s ceasefire offer and said the government also had received the offer. “However, any peace talks with the Taliban are subject to disarming themselves,” he added.

Talking to newsmen after inaugurating 50 Mobile Registration Vans at the National Database and Registration Authority, the minister said the government also had made a talks offer to the Taliban but there had not been any progress so far.