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Summary
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Monday said political and military leadership had decided that army would remain present in Malakand division till the complete rehabilitation of displaced persons and areas reconstruction. Addressing a gathering of Pakistan armys soldiers in Swat, the Prime Minister said, I am confident that your presence in the area will not only discourage regrouping of anti-state elements, but also improve the pace of development in the area. When militants tried to damage the national sovereignty, the government, army and nation with their exemplary unity broke their back, he said. Earlier, Prime Minister visited Government Girls Centennial Model School and Saidu Hospital and exchanged pleasantries with the students and mixed up with them in their classrooms. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister NWFP Amir Haider Khan Hoti, veteran politician and central leader of ANP Afzal Khan Lala, visited the schools and later Saidu Hospital. Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Corps Commander Peshawar Lt. General Masood Aslam were present on the occasion. This was the first visit by the Prime Minister to the scenic valley after repatriation of the displaced people to their native towns that witnessed terror at the hands of the militants. The Prime Ministers visit put a new life into the local populace and they received the Prime Minister with smiling face.
