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| June 8, 2005 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 30, 1426 |
Tribes asked to ensure sectarian cohesion
PESHAWAR, June 7: NWFP Governor Khalil-ur-Rehman has warned that no one would be allowed to carry out his agenda in the name of the Taliban movement in Orakzai Agency. He stressed the need for maintaining law and order in Fata and asked the tribes of Orakzai Agency to ensure sectarian cohesion in their respective areas so that the development process could be successfully completed.
The governor was speaking to a tribal jirga on Tuesday during his visit to Orakzai Agency at Kalaya. The elders of different sub-sections of the tribes attended the jirga.
The governor urged the tribes of the agency to resolve their internal feuds through mutual understanding. The writ of the prevailing law in the agency would be ensured under which disputes among different tribes would have to be resolved through the jirga system and in accordance with the respective tribal values and customs, said a handout issued here on Tuesday.
The governor also reiterated that any change in Fata, if required, would definitely be in accordance with the prevailing customs and values.
Stressing the importance of education in the Fata region, he said that tribal elders should equip their new generation with education and ensure they have a prosperous future.
He also declared that such a transparent system of governance would be established in Fata under which no one would be in a position to misuse a single penny of the government funds meant for development purposes.
The governor made it clear that poppy cultivation would never be allowed at any cost and advised the farmers to shift over to alternate cash crops which would be far better for them.
The prospects of agricultural development are present in the agency. Grafting of olive plants is being conducted on a vast level and after successful completion of the process a new era of development will be ushered in the agency, according to the governor.
Coal deposits are also abundantly available in the agency. The governor expressed regret that mineral wealth was also going to waste because of internal tribal feuds. He promised that the government would introduce new ways and means to exploit Fata’s mineral wealth due to which their income would be tremendously enhanced.
Almost Rs500 million was being spent on about 100 development projects of different nature in the agency during the current financial year, the governor said.
Electrification facility would also be increased in the agency but the respective people would have to install meters and pay charges. The government was suffering from a loss of almost Rs12 billion annually on account of electricity in Fata. He also disclosed that almost Rs70 million was being spent on sixteen road construction projects in the agency.
He also directed the concerned authorities to expedite the pace of work on ongoing development projects in the agency.
The governor also disclosed that the documentation process on the construction of Khankai Small Dam project was already in progress and on its completion practical construction work would begin.
He told the tribal elders that appointments on contract basis would be made to meet the demand of teaching staff in the educational institutions of Fata region. He expressed concern over the reports of hepatitis cases in the agency and described them as highly dangerous.
He said that the government would send medical experts to determine the nature and extent as well as causes of the spread of the disease. He also said that treatment facilities would be enhanced in the agency.
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