SWABI, Feb 11: The US would provide aid for different projects in district Swabi and all out efforts would be made for the boosting of female position/status in the district.

This was stated by principal officer in the US consulate in Peshawar Arlene Ferrill, while addressing the nazims and naib nazims at the residence of former Awami National Party MNA Haji Rehmanullah here on Wednesday. ANP leaders and workers also attended the meeting.

Ms Arlene said the purpose of her visit to the district was to get firsthand information about local problems, especially faced by the womenfolk in the district.

She said she had decided to meet the people's representatives in this regard as they would have better knowledge about the people's problems. She said efforts would be made to start work on different projects in the district soon.

Paying tribute to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, she said the Red- Shirt leader's philosophy of non-violence was vital for resolution of disputes. She said nations all over the world wanted peaceful settlement of disputes, adding the world community was very much interested in creating a peaceful environment.

Earlier, the people's representatives stressed the need to initiate USAID projects in the much-neglected district. Dilating upon Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's Khudai Khidmatgar movement, local leaders told her how MR Khan had preached love and peace.

They told the US consulate official that they were against terrorism unleashed by certain misguided organizations and groups. They said they supported the American policy towards Afghanistan and the continued war against terrorism.

They said that over 1.5 million people of the district had been neglected by the federal government while informing her about the exploitation of tobacco growers by the tobacco purchasing companies.

Criticizing the construction of Kalabagh dam, they said that the dam would affect lands in Swabi, Mardan and Charsadda districts, adding the project would inundate fertile land of the Peshawar Valley, creating a number of social and economic problems. President of the Gadoon Chamber of Commerce and Industry Fazal Amin also spoke on the occasion.