Militants will not be allowed to remain in Buner: Army

The Pakistan Army today asked militants to reciprocate the government's reconciliatory efforts by laying down arms, saying they will not be "allowed" to remain in Buner, a district near the federal capital which the Taliban occupied recently.

The Pakistan Army today asked militants to reciprocate the government's reconciliatory efforts by laying down arms, saying they will not be "allowed" to remain in Buner, a district near the federal capital which the Taliban occupied recently.

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Maj Gen Athar Abbas, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations, said the army "would not allow the militants to take over (Buner) or remain present there".

"They have to leave the area. If we get confirmed news that they are still present, they will be expelled from the area. For that, maybe we have to move the forces there," Abbas told Dawn News channel.

He said the military is supporting the government's reconciliatory efforts but the militants were not reciprocating. According to the peace deal in Swat, the militants are required to lay down their weapons, he added.

Following a threat of military action, Taliban militants from Swat on Friday began withdrawing from Buner, a district located 100 km from Islamabad.

After moving into the area earlier this month, the militants set up check posts and begun patrolling key roads. "The militants had given an understanding that by getting this Nizam-e-Adl Regulation and their demands, they would be laying down their arms and stopping their activities. But what we see is that at present they have (not) laid down their arms and their activities are also continuing," he said.