ISLAMABAD, June 30: The government has appointed a seasoned bureaucrat with plenty of experience in running the tribal areas, as the first-ever special home secretary for Fata to implement the National Security Council’s plan to curb ‘creeping Talibanisation’ in the NWFP.

Taipu Mohammad Khan, an officer from the District Management Group who once served as political agent for Mohmand and Khyber agencies, has been given the job of dismantling the Taliban network in the tribal areas and cleansing some settled areas in the NWFP of militants, sources told Dawn on Saturday.

The NSC had approved the plan to curb Talibanisation at its June 4 meeting in Rawalpindi.

Mr Taipu will oversee the work of regional coordinators to be appointed for southern, central and northern districts of the NWFP, posts which are akin to defunct offices of commissioners.

He will use the coordinators for coordination between settled districts and tribal areas.