PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Army on Monday handed administrative powers of the Swat region to the civilian authorities, ending a decade-long military operation to flush out Taliban militants led by Mullah Fazlullah from the region. In a ceremony held at the Saidu Sharif airport, Brigadier Naseem Anwar handed over the civilian powers to Commissioner of Malakand Division, Zaheer-ul-Islam. “The security powers are now the responsibility of Saidu Sharif police range officer,” he stated. Addressing the gathering, General Office Commanding Major-General Khalid Saeed added: “The people of Swat stood shoulder to shoulder with the military to defeat terrorists. Because of the deteriorating law and order situation in 2009, 3.5 million people fled their homes, forcing the then-Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government to order a major military operation in Swat with the name Rah-e-Nijat.

Source: Pakistan Today October 22, 2018 11:55 UTC