A senior Pakistani official says the government has rejected a ceasefire offer from Taliban militants in a region near the Afghan border.

Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar made the offer on Sunday in a call to The Associated Press. Umar says tribal elders have assured the militants that the government was ready to halt military operations in the Bajur region.

But Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik immediately dismissed the offer, telling AP that the militants need to disarm to prove their good intentions.

Recent fighting between security forces and militants in Bajur has reportedly killed hundreds. It has also prompted some 200,000 people to flee their homes.