Shah Dauran probably killed: Iftikhar

PESHAWAR: Stopping short of an outright confirmation, the NWFP government says it has received reports about the killing of a senior Taliban leader and serious injuries to two others in Swat.Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Wednesday said Fazlullah’s deputy Shah Dauran was reportedly killed and two top commanders of the Taliban sustained injuries in recent military strikes in Swat. He said that a search for the body of Shah Dauran continued after reports that he had been buried by his companions. The minister did not provide the details, saying the government would feel no hesitation in sharing the facts about the death or arrest of the top command of the militants with the general public through the media.During his routine briefing on the Malakand situation and the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat, Buner and Dir, the minister said except for some union councils, the whole Buner had been cleared of the militants, where the government would make formal announcement for the return of the IDPs to their hometowns. “Security forces have been facing some resistance from the militants in Chagharzai, Gagra and some parts of Daggar, where the local people might be asked to vacate their houses ahead of the final round of the current operation,” he added. The minister said some 420 registered IDP families had gone back to Buner, where they would be provided ration and other essential items. Mian Iftikhar said an important meeting was chaired by NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti on Wednesday to review the problems being faced in the restoration of basic facilities like electricity, gas and telephone in the operation-hit areas of Malakand. “After complete revival of these basic facilities, the IDPs would be formally advised to go back to their respective home towns in Swat and Dir,” he added. To a question, he said the provincial government was quite satisfied with security forces’ operation against the militants in the Malakand Division, adding the government had honoured the peace deal and implemented the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009 in good faith, but the militants rather expanded their presence to adjacent Buner and Dir districts.Responding to another question, Mian Iftikhar said former commissioner Malakand Syed Mohammad Javed was being interrogated on certain charges. “I have to say nothing except that the former commissioner is being interrogated on certain charges,” he added.About the displaced persons from South Waziristan, the minister said some 43,000 displaced people had settled in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu districts, but no proper camps had been established for these IDPs so far. He said verification of the data of in-camp and off-camp IDPs from the Malakand Division was going on and the Nadra had received some 615,423 registration forms till now. “Some 236,411 IDP families have been verified so far, including 25,338 registered in camps,” he added. The minister said cash cards had been provided to the IDPs in Nowshera and Swabi districts. He said to-date cash cards worth Rs 646.20 million had been released.

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