Islamabad: Unleashing an all-out war on the Taliban, Pakistani fighter jets on Thursday pounded militant positions in the restive tribal belt, where a son of a pro-Taliban cleric who negotiated a controversial peace deal in Swat was killed in shelling by troops.
As the government said there will be no more negotiations with the Taliban in Swat and they will be dealt with sternly, security forces targeted militants holed up in Malam Jabba, Matta and Khawaza Khela of the valley.
Thousands of panic-stricken civilians streamed out of the area as fighting intensified. Pakistan government estimates that about 500,000 people could be displaced due to the escalating military operations in the troubled region. About 40,000 people have already fled the valley.
Chairing a meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sent out a "clear message" that the militants will be "crushed with full force" and not given any relaxation as peace had not been restored even after the government implemented Shariah or Islamic law in Swat.
"The writ of the government will be established without listening to these elements from now onwards," he said.
The tough talking by Gilani came as US President Barack Obama, hosting a trilateral summit, secured a fresh pledge from leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to "dismantle, disrupt and defeat" the al-Qaeda and Taliban.
"If there is no peace, there is no deal as it is directly linked to the restoration of peace," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters.
Stepping up their offensive, which has already killed nearly 300 militants in Dir and Buner districts, troops targeted Taliban training and communications centres in Gath Peochar and an area of Swat called Qambar.
Kifayatullah, the son of Sufi Muhammad, a hardline cleric who negotiated the peace deal between Pakistani authorities and Taliban, has been killed in shelling in Dir district.
Sufi Muhammad heads the banned Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), which has been spearheading a campaign for enforcing Shariah in Swat.
TNSM spokesman Izzat Khan said Kifayatullah was killed in shelling by the security forces. There was no word from the government on the issue.
The security forces have been using artillery, gunship helicopters and fighter jets in operations against the Taliban in Buner, Dir and Swat districts of the North West Frontier Province.
Meanwhile, with thousands fleeing Swat due to the army offensive against Taliban, the UN refugee agency chief has voiced "deep concern" over their plight.
"As part of the UN response, UNHCR is already sending humanitarian aid items to new camps that we are helping to set up in the Mardan and Swabi," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said.