October 30, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 30, 1429

PESHAWAR, Oct 29: The government has turned down a request by the US to shift the under construction Levies training centre from Khyber tribal region to Peshawar, sources say.

They said that Fata additional chief secretary had written a letter to the Commissioner Peshawar Division on October 10, asking to shift the centre from Fata on account of deteriorating security situation in tribal areas.

The letter said that the US government, which was financing the project, had shown concern over the security situation in the tribal region.

However, the commissioner office informed Fata additional chief secretary that a contract for the proposed project was already signed with the land owners.

“According to tribal tradition once the contract is awarded on nomination to the elders then it is their responsibility to provide security to the staff,” argued the commissioner office.

The tribal elders to whom the land contract had been awarded were fulfilling their responsibility to the satisfaction of the government to till date, said the letter, which further stated that the centre was selected not only for training of Levies but also to provide indirect security to the residents of the Hayatabad Township, located close the proposed site for the training centre.

The letter issued from the newly-established officer of Commissioner Peshawar Division had pointed out that originally the establishment of the centre had been proposed in Bajaur tribal region but later it was shifted to Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency owing to security reasons.

Fata Secretariat had initiated training programme for Levies and Khasadar in the year 2004. About 4,000 security personnel were trained under the project. The training programme was immediately suspended last year.

The secretariat revised the multi-million project and started construction of training centre at Shah Kass in Khyber region adjacent to Peshawar. Officials said that work on the project was in progress and pre-fabricated structures were being built in the area.

Shifting the project again from Khyber to Maira Kachori on the suburbs of provincial capital would encourage criminals and it would be deemed as admitting defeat on the part of the local administration, said the one-page letter.

“Furthermore, shifting of the centre will also jeopardise the associated developmental activities in Khyber Agency and it will malign the credibility of the political administration as well as donor agencies,” it added.

Sources said that the commissioner office had told Fata additional chief secretary through the letter that shifting of centre to Peshawar would be very embarrassing for the political administration and there were apprehension that local dwellers would resist carrying out the remaining projects as all of them were linked to the said scheme, which had made them agreed for providing land on cheaper rate.

Sources said that the US had agreed to launch a training programme scheme aimed at making Frontier Corps an effective counter-insurgency force. Pakistan being a front-line state in the war on terrorism had been facing an uphill task to counter Taliban attacks and had requested the US to impart training to its forces.