Interior Minister, Rehman Malik Sunday said the security forces were besieging Maulana Fazlullah, the supreme commander of the Swat Taliban, and he would not be able to escape from his hideout. Malik was talking to reporters after meeting with a group of PPP leaders from tribal areas. He claimed security forces had surrounded Taliban leader Fazlullah and he would not be able to escape from there.
He further said a number of militant leaders from the north-western Swat valley had already been arrested including their spokesman Muslim Khan. "Our forces have broken the back of militants and hustles of the valley have returned," Malik maintained. He issued a warning to banned Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh Afridi, saying he would meet the same fate as dozens of his fighters who had been either killed or captured by security forces.
"I am giving a warning to Mangal Bagh; you will face the same fate as your companions. Because of your criminal activities and attacks, we are closing in and tightening the noose around you," he said. To a question, he said all the militants including Muslim Khan would be dealt with as per law of the land. Malik further said the government enjoyed the support of all the political forces for the operation against militants, adding people of Fata were equally happy with the operation and wanted to end the rest of the militants.
The government, he said, was spending millions of rupees on the development of Fata and the situation in the area would soon be changed. All the stakeholders in tribal areas would be taken on board in the development process, and the handful of militants would not be allowed to take law into their hands.