The provincial capital was on top of the cities where maximum .......

The News - PESHAWAR: The provincial capital was on top of the cities where maximum number of militants were killed by the police in 2009, followed by Buner and Swat districts, according to official statistics.

Most of the militants, however, were arrested from Charsadda, followed by Buner and Dera Ismail Khan. During the last year, the police recovered 5,643 kilograms and 76 sealed boxes of explosives, 3,138 handgrenades, 654 rocket launchers and 20 suicide jackets. A total of 138 militants were killed by the cops in NWFP during 2009 against 150 in 2008. Among those killed in 2009, 40 were in Peshawar, 21 in Buner, 12 in Swat and nine each in Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Charsadda.

Four militants each were killed in Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan while three each were gunned down in Dir Lower, Karak and Mardan. Swat topped the figures for the year 2008 where 79 militants were killed, followed by 19 in Hangu and 11 in Bannu. 

Hangu and Bannu are part of the troubled southern belt of the province that was severely hit by the militancy as militants spilled over there from the nearby tribal areas.

A total of 150 militants were killed all over the province during 2008, 46 in 2007, 5 in 2006 and none in 2005.

Chitral, Abbottabad, Battagram and Kohistan are the four districts where no militant has been killed for the last six years. These areas are enjoying relatively peaceful environment and militants are yet to reach there. Chitral, the remote district of the volatile Malakand division, comprises 30 percent area of the NWFP while the rest of the three are part of the peaceful Hazara division that makes up roughly 30 percent population of the NWFP.

Apart from the militants, a total of 200 policemen were also killed during 2009, 167 in 2008, 108 in 2007, 27 in 2006, 10 in 2005 and 13 in 2004.

During the last year, Charsadda police remained on top for arresting 224 alleged militants, followed by 150 in Buner, 146 in Dera Ismail Khan, 68 in Kohat, 64 in Swat, 50 in Lower Dir, 46 in Hangu, 36 in Mardan, 33 in Peshawar, 25 in Nowshera and 11 in Dir Upper. Not a single militant was arrested during the last six years in Chitral, Swabi, Abbottabad and Battagram where militancy hasn’t taken root.

During 2008, 1,644 out of the total 1,764 militants were arrested only in Swat. At that time the picturesque valley was hit by militancy.