By IRNA
Islamabad : Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday announced to suspend attacks against security forces in the tribal region of Waziristan and the Swat valley in northwest, a purported Taliban spokesman said.
Maulvi Umar, a spokesman for Pakistani Taliban Movement, spoke to reporters in Peshawar from undisclosed location that militants would stop attacks on forces from February 6th as the ‘government has softened operation’ against the militants’.
“We have stated earlier that if anyone does not want to fight us, we will also not fight with them but if anyone imposes war on us then we will fight with them,” Umar said.
In Islamabad the Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said that the security forces have ‘broken the back of the militants and they are on the run’.
Khan said that a grand jirga or council of elders would be convened soon to talk to the militants in Waziristan to end hostilities in the tribal regions.
The Taliban spokesman dispelled the impression that the militants and government have stopped attacks against each other after secret talks.
“We had already made it clear that if the government or army stops their operations in tribal regions then we will also not target security forces and government officials,” Umar said.
He said that the security forces have substantially decreased operations in Waziristan and Swat in recent days.
“As there is no intensity in the on-going operation, so we will not attack any security official,” he said.
A senator from Waziristan Saleh Shah also confirmed temporary ceasefire between militants and the government.
Local TV channels quoted the army spokesman as denying any ceasefire and said that the operation is suspended because of heavy snow and cold weather in the region.