MINGORA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan has said that a durable peace has prevailed in Swat district and the civilians are capable of running the administrative powers, including security.

He was speaking at a ceremony held at Saidu Sharif airport in Kabal tehsil on Monday for transferring the powers of the district to the civil administration of Swat.

The Pakistan Army had taken control of the administration of the militancy-hit Swat valley a decade ago when Taliban militants challenged the writ of the government and spread terror in the valley in the name of Islam and Sharia.

Peshawar corps commander Lt Gen Nazir Butt, KP Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Khan Mehsud, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malakand Lt Gen Khalid Saeed, members of the national and provincial assemblies, Malakand commissioner Zaheerul Islam, Swat Deputy Commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam and a large number of elders of Swat attended the ceremony.

KP chief minister praises security forces and people of Swat for defeating terrorists

The chief minister said that he was excited to participate in the landmark event of transferring the administrative authority of Swat district to the civil administration after decade-long efforts for the restoration of peace.

“A decade ago terrorists captured the beautiful Swat valley for their anti-state motives and shed blood of innocent people. People of Swat witnessed a bleak era when their social and financial lives were paralysed. It was a doomsday in the lives of Swati people,” he said, adding that for their nefarious motives the terrorists had imposed undue restrictions on women.

He praised the determination of security forces and sacrifices of the people of Swat which defeated the terrorists.

“At present, Swat is completely peaceful where development projects are under way for which we the people of Swat are grateful to the army for not only restoring peace here but also for carrying out rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the valley,” he said.

He said the civil administration and police were trained and capable of exercising their authority smoothly.

In his address, Corps Commander Lt Gen Nazir Butt said that it was a meaningful event to hand over the administrative authority to the civil administration as Swat had become peaceful after witnessing barbarism from 2007 to 2009.

“It was the most successful military operation which was fought with the help of people. The people of Swat are brave and patriotic as they rejected anti-state elements and played a role in restoring peace.”

He said all administrative powers had been handed over to the civil administration and the troops would move to the country’s eastern and western borders.

He said cross-border movement of terrorists and their activities had gone down by 80 per cent after the army fenced over 400km of the Pak-Afghan border.

“Once the entire border is fenced, I am sure terrorism in the country will end,” he said.

Earlier, Malakand division GOC Maj Gen Khalid Saeed welcomed the guests and said the army had not only restored peace to Swat but had also streamlined hospitals, constructed bridges, created employment and trained police.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2018

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