PESHAWAR, Feb 2: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Syed Masood Kausar has said that a swift change is taking place in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) as restoration of peace has ushered in an era of development.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed 110 kilometres Tank-Jandola-Makin Road in South Waziristan Agency on Thursday, he said that development activities in Fata would pick momentum in the days to come and peace would be maintained at all costs to facilitate an uninterrupted uplift process across the tribal areas.

“The colonial era is over as it is the reign of people and their representative in Fata,” he said.

Besides inaugurating the road project, Mr Kausar also attended the graduation ceremony of the first batch of 58 trainees, passed out from the Waziristan Institute of Technical Education, according to a press release. He told a tribal jirga at Jandola that the new road would play a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of South Waziristan in particular and its surrounding tribal territories in general.

Senator Maulana Saleh Shah, MNA Maulana Abdul Malik, Fata Additional Chief Secretary Fazal Karim Khattak and Fata Development Authority Chief Executive Shah Rukh Arbab also accompanied the governor during his visit.The governor said that completion of the road project was a result of restoration of peace in South Waziristan, adding that it would be maintained at all costs. The government, he said, would deal with iron hand all those, who tried to disrupt peace and tranquility in Fata.

Tribal people and the security forces, he added, had rendered valuable sacrifices for restoration and maintenance of peace in South Waziristan Agency.

Mr Kausar said that development activities in Fata could not be hindered because the area had been put on path to progress and prosperity. He urged tribal people and elders to play their role in maintenance of peace. Tribal people, their elders and media would be involved in monitoring the development process to ensure timely and transparent utilisation of funds in Fata, he added.

The governor said that government was working on strengthening communication network in South Waziristan as two important roads, Tank-Jandola-Makin and Tank-Gomal-Wana roads, had been constructed, opening it up for the other areas of the country.

On this occasion, the governor appreciated the Frontier Works Organisation and other line departments for undertaking development activities in Fata.

Presiding over the first convocation of Waziristan Institute of Technical Education at Chagmalai in South Waziristan Agency, the governor said tha Fata youth would be imparted technical education to enable them to earn an honourable livelihood.

“In this respect, the government is working on creating employment opportunities for Fata youth in the Middle Eastern countries,” he added First of its kind in Fata, Waziristan Institute of Technical Education imparts technical training education to less educated tribal youth.

The first batch of 58 students with 4 months duration was trained in auto-mechanic, auto-electrician, building-electrician, driving and computer.