Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif and KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak laid the foundation stone of army cantonment in Swat on Friday. President Mamnoon Hussain had last year approved a plan to establish a cantonment in Swat as a permanent post for the army in the valley, which was cleared of extremists and terrorists by the armed forces about seven years ago.
Speaking on the occasion, CoAS said a new era of development will begin in Swat with inauguration of the army cantonment. He hailed the sacrifices rendered by local people and army soldiers and said it helped restore peace in the valley. Around 300,000 people lived in Mingora until the Taliban occupied the town in early May 2009 when the army first launched an offensive in Swat. By July 2009 the army declared the region back under their control, saying the rebels had all been killed, captured or fled, but more than 20,000 troops remained in Swat and adjacent districts.
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