ISLAMABAD, June 25: A high-level meeting held at the President’s House on Monday approved various political, administrative and other measures to root out militancy and extremism from Federally-Administered Tribal Areas and some parts of the NWFP.

According to an official handout, the meeting, presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, had been convened to review the overall law and order situation in the country with special emphasis on growing incidents of militancy in Fata and some settled areas of the NWFP. The meeting decided to take measures, on a priority basis, to curb militancy and stop it from spreading.

President Gen Musharraf reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the fight against international terrorism and extremism.

Expressing satisfaction over the strategy and steps taken by the government in this regard, he said that the writ of the government would be maintained at all costs.

He stressed the need for capacity building and improvement in the capability of law-enforcement agencies.

“It is important to wean away the people from the path of extremism by providing better opportunities for jobs, progress and alleviation of poverty,” the handout quoted the president as saying.

He said that a vast majority of the people in these areas were against terrorism and extremism and they were extending valuable support to the government which, in turn, wanted them to be brought into the mainstream of national life.

He called for accelerating these efforts so that fruits of progress and development could reach the common man and forces of extremism could be curbed.