The Pakistani government has asked its military to get ready to launch attacks on Taliban strongholds around Peshawar, the northern city, amid warnings the militants were preparing to seize control of the town, said a government official.

The threat is alarming as Peshawar is within two hours driving distance from Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. Witnesses have reported sighting trucks full of Taliban militants armed with assault rifles driving in to neighbourhoods around Peshawar, the largest frontier town before the border with Afghanistan. A security official told the FT the threat of a Taliban takeover was the basis of a number of credible intelligence reports.