PESHAWAR, Oct 29: A syndicate of the mainstream political parties on Tuesday called upon the government and the Taliban to declare ceasefire without delay to pave the way for peace talks.

At the same time, the 22-member All Parties Joint Action Committee for Peace demanded that the government quit the US-led war on terrorism and check the US drone attacks in the country`s tribal areas.

The demands were made during a meeting of the committee here on Tuesday at AlMarkaz-i-Islami, provincial secretariat of Jamaat-i-Islami, to discuss implementation of the decisions of the recent all parties conference organised by JI in Peshawar, according to a news release issued here.

Two factions of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Awami National Party, Pakistan People`s Party and other political groups are members of the committee. However, PML-N declined to be part of the committee.

The participants made JI provincial deputy chief Dr Iqbal Khalil the committee`s convener and agreed to hold a `peace march` in Peshawar after Muharram 10.

Representatives of political parties and civil society will participate in the march.

The committee adopted a resolution to demand expulsion of foreign militants from Fata if any and hold an inquiry into the secret drone strike deal.

It also demanded that the federal government begin negotiations with the Taliban forthwith and that the situationmight go out of control in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas in case talks were delayed.

The committee decided that members of the action committee would meet Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and provincial PML-N chief Pir Sabir Shah to discuss the APC decisions.

It also expressed serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Peshawar, especially the growing cases of extortion and kidnapping for ransom, and asked the provincial government to make a security plan for the provincial capital.The committee`s next meeting will take place at the Central Secretariat of ANP on November 20.

The Jamaat-i-Islami had convened an all parties conference in Peshawar early this month, asking the federal government to announce names of the negotiating team to hold peace talks with the Taliban without further delay.

A joint declaration issued after the conference had also called upon central government to distance itself from the US-led war against terrorism in the region.

However, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), coalition partner of JI in the provincial government, and Pakistan Muslim League-N hadn`t sent their representatives to the conference while Pakistan People`s Party, Awami National Party, two factions of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Pakistan Muslim League-Q and representatives of traders associations had attended the APC.

The APC was convened to discuss the prevailing security situation in the province in the wake of a series of suicide and bomb attacks in Peshawar and other parts of the province.