Pakistan's 2 million displaced start returning home

(July 13, 2009) The Pakistani government on Monday began sending home about 2 million people displaced two months ago by the army's assault on Taliban militants in the Swat valley. The army says it has pushed the Taliban out of their former bastion northwest of Islamabad, and the government is keen to move the displaced back to their homes. The Swat exodus was one of the biggest human migrations of recent times, stretching Pakistan's resources to breaking point and prompting a global appeal for humanitarian help. The army launched the offensive in April after militants took over a district just 100 km from the capital, Islamabad, raising fears for Pakistan's stability and the safety of its nuclear weapons. In the dusty tent camp of Jalozai, buses and trucks were lined up on Monday to take a first batch of people back to their homes. Most of the displaced people moved in with family or friends but nearly 300,000 were settled in sprawling tent camps. The government-appointed chief of the camp said no one was being forced to go home and the 108 families due to leave the camp on Monday were all going voluntarily, a central concern of the United Nations.