February 02, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 23, 1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 1: US Ambassador in Pakistan Anne W Patterson called on Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani here at the Governor’s House on Friday. She was accompanied by Michael Via, acting principal officer, US Consulate Peshawar.

The ambassador felicitated the governor on assuming charge of his office and wished him success in his new assignment. The governor thereafter briefed the ambassador about the prevalent situation in Fata and NWFP, highlighting the causes for the current imbroglio in the tribal belt.

The situation in Afghanistan, he remarked, was the primary reason for instability in the Frontier province. “Unless the normalcy is not returned to Afghanistan, the situation in our region will continue to be unstable”, he said.

The governor also talked about the increase in opium production in Afghanistan, which had assumed alarming proportion, saying that drug money had provided a funding life line to the militants and had criminalised the society. “It had also created huge vested interests for the drug barons, who were thriving due to an uncertain situation prevailing in Afghanistan”, the governor added.

While commenting on the operations in South Waziristan and FR Kohat, he said that though the situation was volatile, but not bleak. “With renewed efforts and some realignment of strategy the situation would hopefully be brought under control”, he said.

Pakistan, he said, possessed the administrative and military capabilities to tackle tough situations. “Being a responsible member of the international community, we shall play our due role in the war against global terrorism”, he added.

The governor also talked about the fallouts of the Afghan situation on the region, which had appeared in the shape of spread of militancy, heavy weapons and narcotics etc. He however hoped that military action in the tribal areas would create the necessary environment for subsequent political actions.

The tribesmen, the governor added, would be asked to fulfill their responsibilities under the concept of collective tribal responsibility (FCR) for clearing their area of the undesirable elements, so that the process of socio-economic development could be resumed in the troubled areas.The governor reiterated that the things in Fata had reached a point, where it would require sustained efforts for improvements and that there could be no quick fixes in this regard.