ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – A Pakistani Taliban commander balked at a peace deal with the government after it refused to withdraw the army from tribal lands on the Afghan border, the militant’s spokesman said on Monday.

Tribal elders in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region have been trying to broker a peace deal between the government and Baitullah Mehsud, an al Qaeda ally who leads the Taliban in Pakistan. Mehsud has been accused of being behind a wave of suicide attacks, including one that killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December. “Our chief Baitullah Mehsud has announced end of the dialogue process about an hour ago after tribal elders informed us that government is unwilling to pull out troops from Waziristan and other areas,” Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban (Movement of Taliban), told Reuters by telephone.