29 May 2004	Saturday	09 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

MIRAMSHAH, May 28: Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that all foreigners hiding in the semi-autonomous tribal region should come up for registration and their local protectors should give surety that they would live peacefully in the area.

Speaking at a jirga of Uthmanzai tribesmen held on Thursday here, he said the government wanted only that the foreigners should identify themselves and live here under the internationally recognized immigration laws.

But, if they wanted to use the soil for subversive activities and attacks on other countries, they should leave the area. "We would not let them use this soil for their nefarious designs," he added.

He said that the government had changed the procedure for holding tribal jirgas, adding that all the tribesmen could present their problems directly to the governor and other higher authorities during the jirgas.

Senators Malik Ajmal and Matin Shah, MNA Maulana Nek Zaman, Political Agent Sherzada Khan and Fata (security) Secretary Brig Mehmood Shah also attended the jirga. Earlier, during a briefing held at the Mirali town in the agency, the governor was told that more than Rs380 million were being spent on 113 development schemes in the North Waziristan Agency.

He was informed that 80 per cent of the amount had already been spent on the schemes, while 85 per cent of the schemes had been made operational. The briefing was given by the political agent.