Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has denied Pakistan is on the verge of collapse as top US officials welcome the government's military offensive against the Taliban.
Zardari is in Washington to participate in trilateral talks between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has claimed that 400 to 500 Taliban militants have been killed in the ongoing battle in the northwest of the country. Television footage showed an ongoing army operation in Malakand Division where fighter jets and helicopter gunships pounded Swat and surrounding districts over the past few days.
The army offensive has garnered praise from the US, which wants Pakistan to root out the militants.
The army has given no details of civilian casualties, though witnesses have reported scores.
In a big development, President Zardari has said that all madrasas in the country would be taken over by the government to separate genuine students from extremists.
Zardari said his government has resolved to bring reforms in the madrasa system and bring it under the government system. Commenting on the ongoing military operation in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) against the Taliban and other terrorist groups, Zardari said the government would initiate every necessary step to pull the country out of the crisis and hand over a better Pakistan to the next generation.
