PESHAWAR, Jan 20: The government is establishing two de-radicalisation centres to ensure psychological and economic rehabilitation of those people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) who renounce militancy.

These centres are being set up in Sikandaro area of Bajaur Agency and Government Degree College, Tank, which is adjacent to the militancy-infested South Waziristan Agency.

Official sources said that Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps would jointly run these centres to de-radicalise detainees arrested in the conflict zone. The Federal Development Working Party has approved a grant in aid for these centres at a meeting held in Peshawar on January 18.

They said that the Civil Secretariat, Fata, had received a request from the army and Frontier Corps to curb militancy and extremism by de-radicalising suspected militants in the tribal areas.

The army has started de-radicalisation programme in Swat after the operation 'Rah-i-Raast' in mid 2009 to counter militancy and extremism through a non-military strategy. Presently, the army is running three de-radicalisation facilities in Swat.

The militants, particularly teenagers who have abandoned militancy and extremism, are psychologically rehabilitated and imparted vocational training to be useful citizens of the society.The officials said that the rehabilitation project for suspected militants in the tribal area would cost Rs29 million. Under the plan, the centre in Tank would get Rs25 million while Rs4 million would be spent on the centre in Bajaur Agency.

They said that the security forces had arrested a large number of suspected militants in different agencies of the Fata and the army had proposed that these people required psychological rehabilitation and gainful employment.

An official said that suspected militants arrested in the military operation in the Fata were mostly adults and they would also get jobs.

'Majority of the militants in Swat were teenagers while in the Fata most of the arrested persons are adults,' the official said while quoting the military authorities. He said that after completion of the rehabilitation process at these centres these people would be provided employment opportunities to avoid their return to militancy.

'These rehabilitated detainees can be misguided again if they remain jobless,' the official said, adding that these people would get vocational training. The government has confirmed that people arrested on the charges of militancy have been kept in 37 interment centres in the Fata. These centres have been set up inside the bases of paramilitary forces and other safe locations.

The officials said that the estimated cost of 10 projects approved by the FWDP was Rs651.8 million, which included two de-radicalisation centres.