Islamabad, July 10: More than 1,700 militants have been killed by security forces in the fighting launched two months ago after militant aggression and advances prompted concern over the stability of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday.
“Their command and communication system has been fractured,” said the premier. “The army has pushed the militants out of Swat’s towns and it controls the main lines of communication, but clashes are flaring daily in some areas.”
“Pakistan will start bringing people displaced by fighting in the northwestern Swat Valley back home from next week.”
Addressing an emergency press conference here, Gilani said the emigration of the internally displaced persons is temporary and he is thankful to those who extended support for them.
About two million people have fled their homes since the army began an offensive in April against the Taleban militants in their bastion of Swat, a former tourist valley northwest of Islamabad. The fighting has killed at least 160 soldiers.
Most of the displaced are living with family or friends in host communities and about 280,000 are in tent camps. The plight of the refugees is a sensitive issue for a government that critics say is bowing to US pressure to battle the militants.
“The displaced men, women and children will begin returning to their homes with dignity from July 13,” Gilani told a news conference. “The war against terrorism is Pakistan’s war,” said Gilani, adding “The Pakistan Army is still busy with the operation in some areas of Malakand and will stay in the area.”
Gilani said the government had restored utilities and infrastructure in Swat and had taken measures to provide security to the people, but he cautioned that sporadic incidents of violence could not be ruled out in Swat.
A special support group will work for the rehabilitation in sync with the government, he said, adding the refugees will start returning to their homes on Monday.
Militants have carried out a series of suicide bombings and bomb attacks around the country in retaliation for the Swat offensive.
In the latest such attack, a remote-controlled bomb went off close to a vehicle carrying security forces in the northwestern town of Bannu, wounding six soldiers, police said. The military is also slowly preparing to mount an all-out assault on South Waziristan, a major militant sanctuary on the Afghan border and power base of Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud.
“Sporadic incidents of terrorism do take place in other parts of the country. So (Swat) is also part of Pakistan and that can also take place there, despite our best ability,” Gilani said.
On Thursday, security forces killed “a few” militants and arrested 25 during a mop-up operation in Swat, the military said.
UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes on Wednesday said Pakistan needed to ensure appropriate conditions, especially security, before encouraging displaced people to go home.
—-Agencies