MIRAMSHAH: Governor seeks tribesmen’s help to restore peace
By Our Correspondent
MIRAMSHAH, Nov 7: The NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai has said that tribal areas have become focal point of the world attention and urged tribesmen to understand significance of the prevailing situation in the region.
Speaking at a tribal jirga here on Monday, he said: “Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are under flashlights and we have to realise the gravity of the situation and secure national interest.”
He urged the Utmanzai tribe to make the agreement a success in their own interest and in the interest of the country. He said that Waziristan peace agreement had changed the world’s mindset and now the world community had realised that what they wanted to achieve by force could easily be achieved by peaceful means.
The governor said that the success of the agreement now depended on the efforts of the elders, adding that its success was also imperative for peace and stability in the region. He said that peace agreement had become a model and now people were seriously considering its replication in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kashmir.
Unfortunately, he added, negative perceptions had emerged about Fata on many counts that had to be dispelled and cleared. He said that it was their responsibility to prove to the world that the tribal society was an egalitarian and democratic society and the tribesmen are patriotic, sensible and civilised people,” adding, “in fact the tribal society is a unique society where there is no disparity whatsoever and all segments of the tribal society enjoy equal status and honour.”
He said Fata remained neglected and backward in the past due to the slackness of both the governments and the tribesmen. The governor announced establishment of Levy force in the agency saying that initially 900 men would be recruited in this force.
The governor also announced that compensation would be paid to the tribesmen who suffered during the operations. The formula for such compensation would be the same as was applied in South Waziristan.
