Islamabad, Aug 10 - With the Pakistani Army reporting that 90 percent of the Malakand division in the country's restive northwest has been cleared of the Taliban, Prime Minister Yousuf said Monday that the picturesque Swat Valley, which forms a part of the region, would be restored to its previous glory.

The army's claim came during a briefing Monday morning for Gilani and army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who were on a surprise day-long visit to Swat where fierce fighting has been raging against the Taliban since April.

Speaking later at a gathering of elders, Gilani described the Swat Valley as being more beautiful than Switzerland and vowed to revive its once thriving tourism industry.

He urged the locals to come up with suggestions to revive business activities that had grounded to a halt after the Taliban took over the area, and other parts of Malakand, and assured full government support for the effort, APP news agency reported.

The prime minister said the government would soon introduce a special package for Swat for its reconstruction, rehabilitation of the people affected by the fighting and initiating new development projects for the areas' uplift.

'Money does not matter before your safety and development,' he maintained.

In this context, the prime minister pointed out that the government had already allocated Rs.50 billion for the rehabilitation of the refugees and on development projects.

Noting that the militants were on the run and would soon be totally eliminated, Gilani said: 'No one will any longer be allowed to dishonour our women, deny education to them, make their lives miserable and create lawlessness.'

During the Monday morning briefing, Gilani was told that the local administration was playing a major role in the rehabilitation of the uprooted civilians. The briefing was conducted by Maj. Gen. Ashfaq Nadeem, who is in-charge of operation 'Rah-e-Raast' in Malakand.

Strict security measures were employed during the prime minister's visit and the entire area was under the full control of the army.

Gilani was told that due to its successful strategy, the army and the intelligence agencies had managed to capture several militants, and due to the efforts of the locals many others had surrendered.