Fazlullah’s death rumors: no confirmation yet, says NWFP information minister

[Naveed Yaseen]

Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: The NWFP government Wednesday said people would continue questioning credibility of the ongoing operation in Malakand unless the security forces succeed in eliminating the top militants in the shortest possible time.

Briefing the journalists, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said there were unconfirmed reports about the killing of militant commander Maulana Fazlullah as a result of airstrikes in Shamozai, Swat. However, he added that neither the security forces had found any bodies of prominent commanders nor other sources had confirmed the killing of any top brass of the Taliban militants.

He said the provincial government had announced a huge reward for those informing about the whereabouts of Taliban commanders or their bodies, hoping that the Taliban were on the run and facing human casualties in Swat, Buner and Lower Dir districts where the security forces had gained tremendous achievements.

The information minister said the law-enforcement agencies had arrested some 30 militants from the IDP camps as some of the militants had escaped in the guise of internally displaced persons.

He said the registration of IDPs would be further scrutinized and the NADRA assistance would be obtained in this regard, saying confusion over the actual strength of IDPs was due to double registration at entry points and camps.

The minister said the total number of IDPs from Swat, Buner and Lower Dir districts had reached 3,33,995 families or 25,19,973 individuals, including 18,900 families or 1,11,823 living in different designated camps.

To a question, he said the provincial government had directed all government functionaries and police forces to rejoin duties to make the civil administration functional and restore the writ of government in those areas, which had been cleared by the security forces in the troubled districts.

The minister advised the people to go back to their respective hometowns unless the necessary facilities like electricity, water supply and food availability were restored. He said according to the government policy each affected family would be provided Rs 25,000 while those who had been stranded in the trouble areas would be either airlifted or facilitated with food and other basic commodities. However, he said militants attacked a convoy of foodstuff, bounded for Swat, Wednesday, saying that the rest of food items would now be sent to Buner district.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=179951