PESHAWAR, Jan 24: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Monday announced a Rs100 million special development package for the Suleman Khel tribe of the South Waziristan Agency.

Speaking to a 50-member jirga of the Suleman Khel tribe which called on him at the Governor's House here, he said that uplift schemes' priorities under the package would be fixed by the tribe, and asked them to constitute a committee of elders for the purpose.

The governor said the uplift package would form part of the next year's annual development programme. Under the government's development strategy, allocation of development funds would be made on the basis of backwardness and requirement of an area rather than the strength of the tribe, he added.

On the occasion, an elder of the tribe, Malik Baz Mohammad Khan, on behalf of his tribe, expressed full confidence in the leadership of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and assured support to the internal and external policies of the government.

He also assured the NWFP governor of full cooperation of the tribe in the ongoing action against foreign terrorists and said the tribe would guard its area against alien and anti-state elements. The jirga members also highlighted the development requirements of their areas.

The governor accepted a demand of the tribe seeking representation on the agency council on the basis of its population and approved an additional seat for the tribe in the agency council of South Waziristan.

The governor urged tribal elders to forge unity among their ranks and deny shelter to foreigners. He also stressed the jirga participants to get their children proper education which would also help in overcoming the problem of unemployment and assured them that the government would meet all their educational requirements.

The governor said the provision of electricity to their area was not a problem but the matter was linked to the installation of electricity meters. He said the government realized the backwardness of the areas and their deprivations and would make efforts to remove it.