Gilani urges displaced refugees to go home

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 9 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Thursday northwest Pakistan residents displaced from their homes by militant violence can soon return home.

Gilani said starting Monday, residents who have been refugees because of Taliban violence in the Pakistani region should return to their homes and feel safe from the threat of additional violence, the BBC reported Thursday.

"The electricity has been restored, the gas has been restored, the gas stations have been restored and even the banks have been restored," Gilani said.

"I congratulate the nation that from 13 July the displaced people will start returning to their homes," he added at Thursday's news conference.

The Pakistani military has been mired in a conflict with the Taliban since April, but the army says those efforts are nearly complete.

The BBC said under the army's plan, refugees living in camps should be the first to return home Monday, followed by displaced residents currently residing in government buildings or in the homes of friends or relatives.