Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani made an unannounced visit Monday to the restive Swat valley in the country's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) where the troops are engaged in flushing out Taliban militants, reports say.
Soon after his arrival, Gilani, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharief, attended a briefing conducted by Operation Commander Major-General Ashfaq on the recently-completed military offensive against the Taliban insurgents in the district, and the repatriation of internally-displaced persons.
Addressing veterans of Swat in Mingora, the Prime Minister said the army crushed the network of militants, adding, by the grace of God, the security forces had considerably uprooted the extremists and militants.
He said that a handful of persons deprived Swat residents of their peace, adding that the extremists were on the run, and pressure would be continued to be maintained on them. He said the government would ensure the full-fledged rehabilitation of people of Swat; also, plans would be prepared for alleviating poverty. The government would reconstruct Swat, as the people had greatly sacrificed in this operation, he added.
This was Gilani's first visit to the region since he called in the Army early May to eliminate the Taliban after a peace deal with it in Swat fell through, considerably under American pressure over the latter's implementation of shariah law, involving preventing girls from attending to schools and blasting schools.
The visit also assumes significance with reports of the army being on the verge of wrapping up the operation, begun seven weeks ago.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.