ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's presumptive prime minister has called for peace talks with Taliban militants at war with the government.

Nawaz Sharif said in a speech Monday that Taliban offers to talk should be taken seriously.

Sharif's party won a resounding victory in the May 11 national election and is set to form the country's next government.

Sharif has pushed for talks with the Pakistani Taliban in the past, but this is the first time he has done so publicly since the election.

The Taliban has been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for years that has killed thousands of security personnel and civilians.