PESHAWAR, Oct 2: US Ambassador Anne Patterson on Tuesday discussed with NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai development initiatives for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and other matters.

Ms Patterson reaffirmed the US government’s commitment for the development of Fata and appreciated Pakistan’s role in the war against terrorism.

The proceedings of the Pakistan-Afghan jirga held in Kabul also came under discussion. The level of cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in different fields and establishment of ‘reconstruction opportunity zones’ in Fata were also discussed.

The governor said the government had made a substantial increase in the annual development budget for Fata and Rs7.5 billion had been earmarked for the purpose during the current fiscal year. He also touched upon the Sustainable Development Plan for Fata and welcomed the financial support promised by the US government for the purpose.

A US official briefly reviewed the defence road projects in Khyber and expressed satisfaction over the pace of implementation.

Ms Patterson also held a meeting with Fata Additional Chief Secretary Javed Iqbal at Fata civil secretariat. The meeting was attended by the secretaries for law and order, planning and development and administration and coordination and other officials.