The Pakistani government began sending home on Monday about two 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 the breaking point and prompting a global appeal for humanitarian help.
The army launched the offensive in late April after militants took over a district just 100km from Islamabad, raising fears for US ally Pakistan's stability and the safety of its nuclear weapons.
The army says more than 1,700 militants were killed in the fighting - independent casualty estimates are unavailable - but none of their leaders were among the casualties, leading to fears the fighters could re-emerge.
In the dusty tent camp of Jalozai, buses and trucks were lined up today 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 tent camps. Their plight is a sensitive issue for the government, which could see support for its more than two-month drive against the Taliban eroded if they are seen to be suffering unduly.
Chief minister of the North West Frontier Province Amir Haider Khan Hoti told a group of people going home the Taliban would be finished off. "We will confront these elements, we will confront them together . . . I assure you that in this war of survival for Pakistan we, and you, will win," Hoti said.
Signs on the ground offered a mixed picture of how successful their return might be, however.
Reporters who have visited the Swat's main town say there was some damage to homes in the fighting, but not much. Many of the displaced have lost their crops, however, and will need support for many months, aid workers say.
Reuters