Islamabad: Pakistani Taliban fighters led by commander Baitullah Mehsud today suspended attacks against security forces in the Waziristan tribal region and the northwestern Swat valley for an indefinite period, a militant spokesman said.

Maulvi Muhammad Omar, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan led by Mehsud, told reporters in Peshawar from an undisclosed location that the militants had stopped attacks on security forces as the "government has softened operations" against the rebels.

The attacks had been stopped for an indefinite period, he said. "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 we will fight with them," Omar said.

In Islamabad, caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said the security forces had "broken the back of the militants and they are on the run". Khan said a grand jirga or council of elders will be convened soon to talk to militants in Waziristan to end hostilities in the tribal regions.

Omar, however, dispelled the impression that the militants and the government had stopped attacks against each other after secret talks. "We had made it clear that if the government or the Army stop their operations in the tribal regions, then we will also not target security forces and government officials," he said.

He said the security forces had substantially decreased operations in Waziristan and Swat in recent days. "As there is no intensity in the ongoing operations, we will not attack any security official," Omar said.

Source : PTI