Maulvi Faqir Mohammad was speaking to local reporters by telephone, revealing that his group is negotiating a peace deal with the government and that the talks are progressing well.

Giving further details, the militant leader believed that any peace deal emerging from the dialogue could be used as a “role model” for the rest of insurgency-hit districts in northwestern Pakistan, most of which are on the border with Afghanistan.

Without directly confirming reports of alleged peace talks with militants, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told a local TV station holding such talks is part of his government’s policy, and it is a continuing process.

Pakistan in the past has struck peace deals with Taliban insurgents but they did not last long and militants used the lull in fighting to regroup.

The Pakistani Taliban has carried out hundreds of attacks prompting the government to launch major military offensives to root out their bases.

Political and public demands for engaging in peace talks with militants have also intensified in Pakistan.