In what is seen as a build up to the peace talks with Taliban, Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa provincial Government has given an "in principle approval" for the gradual withdrawal of the army from the picturesque Malakand division, once controlled by the banned militants.
In the initial stage, security forces will be withdrawn from Buner and Shangla districts in the province starting mid-October. An official communique issued from the CM House stated that provincial Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak announced the withdrawal of army from Malakand division in Nowshera. Khattak said that withdrawal of army from these two districts would be followed by a phase-wise withdrawal from Upper Dir, lower Dir and Swat where "the writ of the Government has been consolidated".
The announcement comes in the backdrop of federal Government preparing to start peace talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the light of decisions of an all-party conference. The army was called out by the then Government in 2007 to assist the administration in parts of Malakand division to quell militancy in the mountainous region.