Peshawar, Oct 21 (PTI) The hilltops of the Swat region in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province have been cleared of all the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists, a top police officer said.

Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said on Thursday that the successful operations by the police in the Swat district have forced the terrorists to vacate their camps and the tourists would now be able to visit scenic valleys in a couple of days.

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"For the past few months, the people of Swat have been in a state of chaos and insecurity due to continuous incidents, leading to ongoing protests. In the protests, the people of Swat demanded peace and security," he told reporters.

He said that complete peace has been restored in the district.

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To evade future threats, 18 permanent police check posts are being established at various entry and exit points to stop the infiltration of the terrorists associated with the banned outfit TTP.

Commenting on a recent school van firing incident in which the driver was killed and two school children were injured by unknown assailants, he said it was not an act of terrorism but of personal enmity as the accused have been arrested.

Weapons and ammunition, and the bike used in the incident have been recovered as well, he said.

One of the accused involved in the incident has fled to Dubai and is being brought back through Interpol, he added.

He also said that 63 people have been arrested during the current year for making extortion calls to people.

He said the money demanded on the letterhead of the TTP pad to a sitting KPK Minister Atif Khan is being probed.

However, the TTP spokesman has denied writing a letter to the minister demanding Rs 80 lakh money.

According to a report from Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, terrorist attacks have increased by 51 percent in Pakistan after the formation of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan in the wake of US forces' withdrawal in August last year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)