THAT the IDPs have started moving back to their homes in Malakand Division is indicative of the fact that the situation there is returning to normal. The announcement by the NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain that 60,000 displaced families housed in relief camps in Mardan voluntarily returned to their homes in Swat and Buner on Monday is heartening indeed. What is more, he has given the assurance that the remaining IDPs would also start going back to their homes. One can safely say that the military campaign of mopping up the areas nears completion. True, there have been reports of fighting in Swat and Lower Dir where 100 militants were reportedly killed, nonetheless, the writ of the state appears to be getting its hold. A good chunk of the militant leadership has now been eliminated. Others are on the run. Most parts of Swat valley, for instance have been cleared and the Army and police patrol in the streets add to people's sense of security. It is comforting to know that markets have opened up in Mingora and commerce in other parts has also resumed. No doubt, the credit goes to the Army and the government for restoring calm in the region but in order for the mission to be accomplished, the government would have to take proper measures ensuring that the region does not become a hotbed of terrorism it once was. The situation even after peace has been established would have to be monitored very closely. Surveillance equipment installed at the roads leading to the area would go a long way towards preventing the criminal elements from sneaking into the area. Likewise, sophisticated military equipment required for warfare in treacherous terrains like Swat would prove to be of additional help. The West would wrong us if its leadership continues to turn a deaf ear to the oft-repeated calls made by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for provision of modern weapons. Having said that, the focus at the moment ought to be on rehabilitation of the IDPs returning to their homes. Militant networks had in the past exploited the poverty in the valley by finding recruits among the local population. They had also been able to find a cause for their presence by harping on the theme of lack of justice backed by their demand for imposition of self-style Sharia. Therefore, while the government would have to undertake rehabilitation efforts like, rebuilding schools, roads, hospitals and compensating the locals whose houses have been destroyed, it must invariably see to it that an effective criminal justice system is also enforced.