PESHAWAR, April 12: The government on Thursday unveiled a nine-year development plan for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). The project will cost $2.6 billion, which will be met through local resources and foreign funding.

The Sustainable Development Programme was launched at a donors’ conference held at the Governor House here on Thursday. The conference was attended by representatives of different donor agencies, UN bodies, relief organisations and diplomats. Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai was also present.

At a press conference later, Fata’s secretary for security Arbab Mohammad Arif said donors were briefed on the implementation strategy for the project. He said the main objective of the programme was to ensure justice, peace and an equitable society in Fata.

Highlighting salient features of the programme, Fata’s planning and development secretary Kazim Niaz said half of the project cost would be met by the federal government and from resources to be generated by the Civil Secretariat, Fata. The remaining amount will be provided by international donor and lending agencies.

He said the conference was a preliminary session for the forthcoming Pakistan Development Forum to be held in Islamabad on April 27.

He maintained that the donors were given a briefing about the unfunded portion of the programme to seek their assistance. He said the government needed foreign assistance in the health, road, education and forestry sectors.

Mr Niaz said the “intervention phase” of the programme would be spread over five years under which $300 million would be earmarked for education, $190 million for health, $25 million for rural development, $100 for agriculture, $25 million for livestock, $50 million for housing, $100 million for forest, $100 million for irrigation and $520 million for roads.

A senior official of the Fata Development Authority, Saleem Khan, said delegates were informed about functions of the newly-created body and its future planning for the area.

He said the authority required Rs13 billion for industrial development, exploration of minerals and human resource development. He said the FDA would generate the amount from its own resources.

About establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in tribal areas, he said discussions were under way with the US government and the Chamber of Commerce. He said sites had been identified for the proposed zones in Shah Kas (Khyber Agency), Matani (Frontier Region, Peshawar) and Mulagori (Mohmand Agency).