Islamabad: Pakistani military yesterday strongly rejected a foreign radio report that militants were in control of 38 per cent of the North West Frontier Province.

"We reject this malicious claim which is factually incorrect and based on assumptions," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said of the BBC report. The spokesman said of the seven federally administered tribal agencies or districts, Bajaur had been recently cleared of Taliban militants.

In Mohmand Agency there were only a few pockets of resistance, he said, adding that none of the seven agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) had ever been over-run by Taliban fighters.

The other agencies of Fata are Orakzai, Khyber, Kurram, South Waziristan and North Waziristan.

"All roads in Fata are open," Abbas said, pointing out that the tens of thousands of troops deployed along the border with Afghanistan were being "sustained" through use of these roads for logistics.

"If militants have the ability to raid a post or a CD shop it does not mean that they are in control of the areas," the spokesman said.

About the eight-day old military operation ongoing in Swat and the neighbouring districts of Buner, Dir and Shangla, the spokesman said another 54 militants had been killed.