PESHAWAR, June 22: Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Safdar Hussain has urged tribesmen of Mohmand Agency to focus on the socio-economic uplift of the area to make it a hub of commerce and trade.

The agency has a special significance as it is the gateway to the Central Asian countries and has all the potential of becoming a hub of commerce and trade, the corps commander said.

Australian and Italian firms have shown interest in investing in the marble industry of the agency, the corps commander said.

Addressing a grand jirga of tribesmen at Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand Agency on Wednesday, the corps commander said that the government was focussing on the uplift of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

He praised the need to maintain peace in the region as it was the most significant prerequisite for execution of development works and asked tribesmen to assist the government in maintaining peace in the tribal region, said an Inter Services Pubic Relations press release issued here on Wednesday.

He appreciated the tribesmen of the Mohmand Agency for keeping their area free of all kinds of terrorism and extending support to the army upon its entry into the area in June 2003.

He assured that the government would make the agency a model agency of Fata.

The corps commander also told the jirga that he had requested the General Headquarters (GHQ) to sanction the approval of a special communication organization for Fata to provide telecommunication facilities in the tribal areas.

He said that Fata had remained one of the most backward areas of the country having the lowest literacy rate, lacked communication infrastructure, healthcare facilities and even clean drinking water.

He said that the Pakistan army in collaboration with the political administration and locals had prepared a five-year master plan for the development of tribal areas.

The days of negligence and deprivation are now over as sufficient funds have been allocated for tribal areas which once completed will bring socio-economic revolution in Fata, the corps commander said.

He referred to the infrastructure development in the agency and said that so far 125km of tracks had been constructed in the first phase.