LAHORE, Aug 30: The ongoing military operation against militants in tribal areas will come to a halt on the midnight of August 31 and remain suspended during Ramazan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik announced here on Saturday.

He was talking to reporters after attending a seminar on ‘Secure Pakistan: National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes’ organised by FIA.

Mr Malik said the operation would remain suspended till the 2nd day of Eidul Fitr.

However, he pointed out, law-enforcement agencies would respond with full force, if anybody tried to take advantage of the government initiative and indulged in militancy.

He said all people who had left their homes because of violence in the tribal region, should go back, adding that their security and safety would be ensured by law-enforcement agencies.

The adviser said 23,000 people had already gone back to their homes. He said satellites were being used to monitor militants’ activities and because of it, security agencies had achieved successes.

He said people in the affected areas had started playing an effective role in the operation against militants, adding that they had not only disallowed them from entering their areas but they had also driven them out. If the militants resisted, people had even killed them, he said.

Mr Malik said the government would strictly adhere to a policy of no leniency towards militants, adding that it would never hold talks with them.

Referring to Dr Afia’s case, he said the government would fully support her.

He said that militants should not be projected as heroes by the media. He cited India’s example and said journalists there kept national interests supreme and did not report various incidents occurring there on TV channels.

Earlier, in his speech at the seminar, Mr Malik said FIA would create public awareness about cyber crimes and added that tribunals would be set up soon to deal with such crimes.

FIA Director-General Tariq Pervez and project director of the National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes Syed Ammar Hussain Jafferi also spoke.

—APP