PESHAWAR, Oct 21: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah assured a tribal jirga that Shalman water supply scheme would be executed soon as preparation of the feasibility report was at its final stage.

The proposed water supply scheme is estimated to cost Rs350 million.

The governor was speaking to a tribal jirga comprising elders of Zakhakhel sub-tribe of Afridis from Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency, here on Tuesday.

The governor assured that all the resources would be made available to complete the project to solve the protracted water crisis in the area.

He also appreciated the resolve of the tribesmen of Landi Kotal regarding the banning of poppy cultivation in their respective areas, saying “it is a big decision”.

“Narcotic is a curse, the soon we get rid of it the better it would be for us individually and collectively”, he remarked, while welcoming the written agreement on the matter between the tribal elders and the political administration.

“The tribesmen of Khyber Agency have set an example, which other tribesmen should also follow”, he stressed. He assured the jirga that necessary inputs for the substitute cropping would be made available to the tribesmen of these areas.

On a point raised by the jirga, the governor said that the terrorists were trying to wage their war on Pakistani soil but the government would never allow anyone to set the score at the cost of the country’s security, sovereignty and independence.