Frightened residents flee Swat

Frightened residents flee Swat Agencies

CHOCKABLOCK: The road out of Mingora is crowded with residents who took advantage of a brief relaxation in curfew to flee the embattled Swat town on Sunday. (EPA)   MINGORA, Pakistan: Tens of thousands of civilians, many on foot or donkey carts, took advantage of a brief relaxation in curfew to flee Pakistan's embattled Swat Valley yesterday, while the army said it had killed 400 to 500 militants in its battle against the Taleban. The hemorrhaging of residents from a scenic valley that once attracted hordes of tourists threatened to greatly exacerbate an existing internal refugee crisis for a nuclear-armed nation already facing economic, political and other woes. But in an interview aired yesterday, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly rejected the notion that his country might collapse and called for international efforts to fight extremism. "Is the state of Pakistan going to collapse?" Zardari asked rhetorically on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "No. We are 180 million people. There the population is much, much more than the insurgents are." The president was responding to assessments by some US military analysts, who had raised the possibility of a collapse of the Pakistani state because of the Taleban insurgency. The army offensive has garnered praise from the US, which wants Pakistan to root out havens on its soil where Taleban militants can plan attacks on American and NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan. As they left Swat's main town of Mingora, some residents cursed the situation and condemned the Taleban, while others blamed Pakistani leaders for bowing to the West. "Show our picture to your master America and get money from him," some taunted. The desperate Swat residents were trying to leave any way they could — on motorbikes, animal-pulled carts, rickshaws or foot. A ban on civilian vehicles entering the valley complicated the exodus for those without cars. Some chided a reporter for slowing them down by asking questions. "We are going out only with our clothes and a few things to eat on the long journey," said Rehmat Alam, a 40-year-old medical technician walking out of Mingora with 18 other relatives.