NORTH WAZIRISTAN: The newly-posted corps commander of Peshawar, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, has said that establishment of peace in North Waziristan and development and prosperity of the area are his top priorities.

Addressing the tribal elders after assuming the charge of his new assignment here on Sunday, he said that a new era of development would start with execution of uplift schemes and promotion of trade and commerce in the region.

He urged the people of tribal districts to divert the attention of their youth towards education and self-employment so that the menace of terrorism and extremism could be uprooted from the area.

Earlier, he was received by the general officer commanding, Maj Gen Naeem Akhtar, Tochi Scouts Commandant Usman Haider, Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan and DPO Atiq Hussain as well as the elders of the area.

During the session of jirga, the local elders demanded facilitation in return of the displaced persons, who had left their homes during the Zarb-i-Azb operation, increasing the volume of the bilateral trade with Afghanistan and showing leniency in clearing process at Ghulam Khan customs station.

They also demanded setting up industrial units in the area, payment of compensation to the people, whose homes and markets were destroyed during the operation, and establishment of a university, medical college and cadet college, which had been approved already, in the area.

The corps commander assured them of fulfillment of all their demands and said that he would make sure that all their problems were solved.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2021