More than 1.6 million people have been displaced in the conflict zone in northwestern Pakistan, according to a provincial relief commissionerate Monday.

Over 164,000 persons have fled the Malakand division of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) where armed forces have been battling the Taliban militants since late April, according to an NWFP Relief Commissionerate report made public Monday.

About 215,017 internally displaced persons have been staying at 17 relief camps, while more than 1.4 million affected people were registered outside the camps, said the report.

A total of 75 registration points have been set up in different NWFP cities like Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, Kohat and Peshawar, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2009)