PESHAWAR: Newly-appointed Khyber Pakhtunkwa (KP) Governor Shaukatullah Khan on Wednesday said the All Parties Conference on counter-terrorism to take place under the auspices of the Awami National Party (ANP) would also include parliamentarians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Speaking to media representatives in Peshawar, Khan said the tribal areas were a part of Pakistan, and that he was capable of handling any post he was given.

Referring to the controversy surrounding his appointment, the provincial governor asked why a native of the tribal areas, as a citizen of Pakistan, should not be the prime minister or president of Pakistan. Khan added that people were only making such statements in order to incite disagreements.

The KP governor further said Pakistan was in a much better position than it was in 2008, adding that the reasons behind terrorism were a lack of education and unemployment.

With development in Fata and an improvement in the education sector, he added, the country would move forward.

On the occasion, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Khalid Rabbani and other political and military officials were also present. The provincial governor was speaking at the graduation ceremony of students from the Khyber Institute of Technical Education, an institute established by the Pakistan Army in the region.