ISLAMABAD - BEREFT of services and struggling without proper food, frightened civilians stumble past damage from Pakistan's offensive in Swat, wondering whether the government can win the war.

For nearly two years, thousands of followers of hardline Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah rose up to enforce sharia law in Swat, setting fire to schools, beheading government officials and fighting against security forces.

As the military claims further successes in Swat, analysts warn that the authorities must restore basic services to stop the Taliban from exploiting a power vacuum and re-fuelling the insurgency, as has happened in the past.

'Supplying food, relief work and rehabilitation should be the top priority of the government, and the government should take visible steps to create an atmosphere of trust in the people,' analyst Ikram Sehgal said.

Chairing security talks on Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari recognised that 'half the war was to subdue and defeat the militants militarily and half of the war was to win the hearts and minds' of the displaced.

Pakistan has branded the offensive a struggle for survival. Public opinion is firmly behind the operation, for the first time in years of offensives that have largely failed to make decisive inroads against the insurgency.

The deeply unpopular Mr Zardari called for plans to strengthen law-enforcing agencies and reform the education system, but outlined no concrete plans for abolishing the Islamic seminaries seen as recruiting extremist foot soldiers.

Pakistan has called for one billion dollars to help the displaced civilians rebuild their lives. Observers say it will cost far more in reconstruction and provision of services to fill the vacuum after military operations are over.

A former northwest provincial official and retired military intelligence brigadier, Mr Mahmood Shah, said civilians should brace for the situation to get worse before it gets better. -- AFP