ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that militants in Swat have been defeated and security forces were in control of the region, several militant commanders had been killed and Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah injured.
Talking to reporters after launching the FM radio channel of Islamabad traffic police, he said the militants had nefarious designs, but their activities were being closely watched.
Mr Malik said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other provincial governments were trying their best to curb terrorists.
He said that a man named Zubair, a suspect in the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan but he had and his accomplices had been traced in Makeen area of Waziristan.
Some arrests had also been made in Buner and Rawalpindi division. ‘All roads lead to South Waziristan,’ he added.
Earlier, addressing the ceremony, Mr Malik said the enemies had been flushed out of Swat, but a few pockets of militants existed in other areas of the Frontier province.
He said that 31 people, among them would-be suicide bombers, their handlers and a mastermind, had been arrested in Islamabad and six suicide attacks had been averted. He said the suspects were on a mission to attack important installations.
The minister said conspiracies against Pakistan had been foiled because of national unity and bravery of the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies.
He said international conspiracies to weaken the country had been hatched 30 years ago.
‘The cancer of terrorism has affected our economy and law and order, but we are determined as a nation to root out the menace,’ he added.
Meanwhile, police announced on Monday to have arrested two terrorists who were allegedly involved in four suicides attacks and were planning more terrorist activities in the capital.
Mohammad Ovais, 34, of Adyala Road, and Obaidullah Khan, 30, of Westridge, were picked up from Sector I-11 on July 5 by a joint team of city police and intelligence agencies.
According to sources, they were traced when they contacted another alleged terrorist, Fidaullah, in Adyala jail and delivered Rs100,000 and a mobile phone to him.
They and their accomplices were involved in planning suicide attacks on personnel of the special branch on March 23 and Frontier Constabulary on April 4. There was also information about a suicide attack on a lawyers’ rally.
The alleged terrorists had close links with militants of Miramshah, Batagram and Buner and were trained in operating modern weapons and making explosive devices.
They were also involved in recruiting teenagers for suicide attacks on security forces.
According to the sources, the accused have confessed to having sent over a dozen youths to militant training camps from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Azad Kashmir.
The suspects also had links with one Shoaib of Lahore who arranged funds for terrorist activities.
Ovais, hailing from Poonch district, and Obaidullah of Attock worked for one Tipu who was affiliated with a militant group named Ghazi Force. Ovais had earlier received militant training as a member of Harkatul Mujahideen.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operation) Bani Amin said Ovais was an expert in electronics and communication technology and he had got a diploma in navigation from Karachi, but he drove a taxi in the twin cities.
He also worked for the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to scan communication of security forces.
Obaidullah had a diploma in associate engineering and taught in a computer college in G-9/3.
The DIG said that police had arrested dozens of people allegedly affiliated with the Ghazi Force, Baitullah Meshud’s TTP, Buner group, Momin Khan group, Ilyas Kashmiri group and Al Qaeda.
Both the accused were handed over to Aabpara police on Monday for interrogation in connection with suicide attacks in Aapbara Market in July 2007 and at special branch headquarters on March 23 this year.
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