In an exclusive interview with CNN, Mehsud blamed the ceasefire’s breakdown on Islamabad, saying it “violated the ceasefire and martyred tens of our comrades and arrested tens of them.”

“We are fighting Pakistan’s war from within the territory of Pakistan; using Pakistani soil. We have the ability to fight for many more decades with the weapons and spirit of liberation that exist in the soil of Pakistan," he told the American news channel.

When CNN pressed Meshud on Islamabad’s claims that he is getting Afghan help, asking him if the support is being kept secret, he rejected this, saying: “When we don’t need any help from the Afghan Taliban; what is the point of hiding it?”

In recent weeks, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in  cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.

Pakistan has even asked the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan to take action against those behind the attacks.