July 1 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan will use its army to combat militants in tribal areas as a last option and will let local authorities lead efforts to tackle extremism in the region bordering Afghanistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said.

The army will be called on only when the local governments ask for help, the official Associated Press of Pakistan cited Gilani as saying in Multan yesterday.

Renewed efforts to combat extremists aren't being taken at the behest of the U.S. or Afghanistan, Gilani said. ``Our own international security needs the ongoing civilian government action against the militants,'' he said.

Gilani's government began truce talks with Taliban groups in the tribal region in April, prompting concern from the U.S. that militants will use the negotiations to step up attacks on U.S.- and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai last month said he wanted to deploy troops on Pakistani soil to attack Taliban fighters.

Gilani took office after February's general elections when opposition parties defeated supporters of President Pervez Musharraf, a key ally of the U.S. in its fight against terrorism.

The government in Islamabad has said it wants to emphasize negotiations, rather than military force, in dealing with Taliban militants and their allies.

The tribes, in cooperation with security forces, must be responsible for stopping fighters crossing the border, the government says. They must understand that the military will be justified in using force if tribesmen act against their pledges, political and security leaders said at a meeting hosted by Gilani in the capital last week.

Afghan Border

Pakistan and Afghanistan blame each other for failing to stop al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters crossing the 2,430-kilometer (1,510-mile) border they share. Gilani said yesterday he talked with Karzai recently and both leaders have the same views on security, APP reported.

Karzai's comments last month were taken out of context and didn't pose a threat to Pakistan, the prime minister said, according to APP. Pakistan's government will continue to hold talks with those who want to give up militancy, Gilani added.

The Ministry of Interior yesterday banned three groups in the tribal area, APP reported. Lashkar-e-Islam led by Mangal Bagh, Ansar-ul-Islam led by Mahboob-ul-Haque and the Haji Namdar Group were banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The ban has the support of local tribal leaders and is part of an operation that respects tribal sensitivities, according to the report. Local security forces recently cleared and demolished a base where between 150 and 200 supporters of Bagh gathered, APP cited unidentified ministry officials as saying.

Paramilitary troops were deployed last week in North West Frontier Province to combat Islamic militants threatening the provincial capital, Peshawar. Taliban fighters have increased operations inside Peshawar, a city of 3 million people that lies on the Pakistan side of the Khyber Pass, a supply route for U.S. and NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 30, 2008 21:48 EDT