Taliban Commander Calls for Ceasefire in Pakistan Border Area

A senior Taliban commander in Pakistan's tribal areas has declared a ceasefire as part of secret peace talks with the new civilian-led government.

Baitullah Mehsud has boasted of training legions of suicide bombers and has been accused of orchestrating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto last December.

Now he has posted leaflets across his mountain redoubt in the lawless South Waziristan tribal area, ordering fighters to halt attacks on Pakistani security forces or face severe punishment.

The pause is a triumph for Yusuf Raza Gilani's new government, which has promised to tackle militancy through dialog, in contrast with President Pervez Musharraf's iron-fisted approach, which failed to stem a wave of violence that has killed hundreds in the past year.

But analysts and American officials reacted coolly to the news, fearing the militants would use the ceasefire as an excuse to re-arm and intensify attacks into Afghanistan. "We have been concerned about these types of approaches because we don't think they work," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"It is premature to talk about an agreement until the government gets down to the nuts and bolts," said retired brigadier Mehmood Shah, former head of security for the tribal areas.

US officials were critical of a similar agreement signed by Musharraf in 2006 which led to a surge in cross-border attacks and ultimately collapsed.

This time around there are important differences. Mehsud leads Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella body grouping 40 militant outfits including Maulana Fazlullah of the Swat valley.

Leaflets distributed across his home turf of South Waziristan told followers that "a ban is imposed on provocative activities for the sake of peace". Anyone breaching the ban would be strung up in public, the leaflet said.

The current process is spearheaded by the Awami National party, which swept to power in North West Frontier province in the February elections. The ANP hopes its Pashtun credentials will give it greater credibility with the Taliban. In an apparent confidence building measure this week the government released Maulana Sufi Muhammad, a veteran militant who sent thousands of tribesmen to fight US troops in 2001, after six years in jail.

The deal could also easily fail. Mehsud's TTP does not include about dozen other fighting groups, some of whom have publicly refused to accept his authority.

It is unclear what the peace deal will mean for the foreign fighters sheltering in Waziristan, an area considered a possible hideout for Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants. American Predator drones have bombed several houses in Waziristan where it accuses tribesmen of sheltering al-Qaida militants.

Musharraf and the CIA have accused Mehsud of orchestrating the assassination of Bhutto on December 27. But Bhutto's own party has been more circumspect, saying it suspects members of Musharraf's own security apparatus of involvement.

Local media reported that Mehsud and the government had drafted a 15-point peace plan calling for an end to hostilities, an exchange of prisoners and a withdrawal of the army from the tribal belt.

The Pakistani army would be replaced by the paramilitary Frontier Corps, a locally recruited force that is less well trained and equipped. A small group of US military trainers are due to start training the FC later this year.