PESHAWAR: The NWFP(PUKHTUNKHWA) government will officially celebrate the Independence Day in Mingora, the main town of Swat, to restore confidence of the people and convey the message to the world that peace has been achieved in the valley. “August 14 will be celebrated as Peace Day in Swat,” NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar told a news conference here on Tuesday.
Mian Iftikhar said purpose behind holding the I-Day function in Mingora was to restore confidence of the people in the government and to tell the countrymen and world community that peace had been restored and those out to disturb the situation had been subdued.
The provincial government has formed a three-member committee to finalise arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations in Mingora. Officials said the step would be a morale booster for both the security forces and the people of Swat.
“The miscreants, who are on the run, must learn a lesson from the killing of their top leader,” the minister said while referring to the suspected death of Waziristan-based Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in the August 5 drone attack in South Waziristan.
However, Mian Iftikhar said Baitullah Mehsud had been killed and his followers were now on the run and could not find a safe place to hide. He said the network of “terrorists” had been dismantled.
In the same breath, Mian Iftikhar, who is also spokesman for the provincial government, demanded of the security forces to keep the operation precise and targeted in areas yet to be purged of the trouble makers. To a question, he said the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had received a serious blow and the recent internal differences would prove the last nail in its coffin.
However, he skipped the answer when asked about the official confirmation of Baitullah Mehsud’s death in the drone attack. “No one can confirm the death of any person engaged in guerilla war,” said the minister.
He lauded the security forces for their sacrifices to get rid of the terrorists in Malakand division where they posed serious threat to the security and solidarity of the country. To a question about Sufi Muhammad, Mian Iftikhar said the case of the Tanzeem Nifaze Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief was in the court. He also admitted trouble in some parts of Buner district, but hoped the troops were struggling to cleanse the area of troublemakers.
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