PESHAWAR, Sept 1: NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that a huge development package, costing almost Rs7 billion, is being implemented in Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata).
"Aside from this hefty amount, projects in the current ADP also include funds from the federal government and foreign aid of Rs2,063 and Rs1,780 million, respectively," said the governor while talking to a group of the 2nd Allied Officers War Course, currently under way at the National Defence College, Islamabad.
Mr Shah said: "This is really a biggest investment in the history of the area which is almost 700 per cent higher than the budget allocated during the past three years to Fata."
The delegation led by Chief Instructor Maj-Gen Sabahat Hussain also included representatives from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Lebanon, whereas Secretary to Governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad and the Secretary Security, Fata, Brig Mahmood Shah, briefed the delegates about the salient features of the development activities as well as the security issues in the area.
LAW AND ORDER: Talking about the law and order situation with particular reference to the presence of foreign elements in South Waziristan Agency, the governor said, as per prevailing law the foremost requirement was that the tribesmen themselves provide guarantee that they would not allow anyone to harbour any foreigner.
Further, the foreigners present in the area had to provide guarantee that they would not indulge themselves in any negative activities, he further said, adding that lastly the tribesmen would have to provide surety that they would not allow anyone to use the soil of their jurisdiction to fulfil his nefarious agenda against anyone.
In the light of the said conditions, the governor said, different tribes as well as their sub-sections had been were in touch to help bring normalcy to the area.
Earlier, briefing the delegates, the Secretary to Governor, Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, said that despite the fact that such a huge development taking place in education sector, keeping in view the prevailing enrolment ratio of 68 per cent and 19 per cent of boys and girls, respectively, there existed a vast scope for making more accelerated efforts and injecting more funds to launch educational institutions to meet both the quantitative and qualitative demands in this connection.
Similar was the case in respect of health sector, he added, wherein though the overall number of institutions at various tiers had been increased from 312 to 549 during the last three years yet much more investment had to be made to reach to the minimum level of required standard in this connection as well.
