Pakistan ? The top Taliban commander in Pakistan called a cease-fire Thursday and ordered followers to halt attacks, while the government said it was pursuing peace talks with tribal elders in the volatile border region.

Despite the call, a bomb killed three people and wounded more than 20 today in northwestern Pakistan. The bombing near a police station in Mardan shattered a monthlong respite from a wave of devastating suicide bombings blamed on Islamic militants that included the December assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Fliers distributed on the Afghan frontier and in nearby towns on Thursday told those loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban commander accused of ties to al-Qaida, to avoid acts of “hostility.”