PESHAWAR, June 2: In a major policy decision, President Gen Pervez Musharraf is reported to have approved the appointment of senior military officers as administrators of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

The newly-appointed NWFP Governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai, is believed to be giving final touches to a list of officers to be posted as political agents, Dawn has learnt on good authority.

President Musharraf gave his final verdict after a long discussion on the issue in a May 9 meeting in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by senior civil and military offices and four federal ministers, including the minister for interior.

Overruling what has been described as feeble opposition to the move by some civil officers, who, in his words, were ‘bold enough’ to take action, sources in the federal capital said.

Till now, postings in the tribal regions have been largely the exclusive domain of what hitherto was known as the DMG officers and a few officers from the provincial executive services.

According to the Constitution, the president enjoys the exclusive executive authority over Fata. Article 247 makes this abundantly clear. Parliament has no jurisdiction over the tribal regions nor can it legislate for the areas.

Dawn has also learnt that the president has constituted a five- member selection committee headed by federal secretary cabinet division and comprising federal secretary establishment division, federal secretary state and frontier regions, Chief Secretary NWFP and Secretary Fata.

The committee which was scheduled to meet on May 30 to firm up a list of officers for posting in Fata, but the meeting was not held..

Now, Governor Ali Jan Orakzai is believed to be working on the list.

Under the new arrangements, the Governor would be the final authority to approve any officer from amongst a panel of names sent to him by the selection committee.

It is learnt that the officers of the rank of colonel will be posed as administrator of tribal regions and those of the rank of majors as assistant administrators.

It however is not yet certain just how many of them will be posted in the seven federally administered tribal regions. It appears that the government will start from the restive North and South Waziristan tribal regions, where the military has a heavy presence.

It is learnt that the administrator in North Waziristan, Mr Zaheerul Islam, has already asked to be relieved, although his request does not appear to be linked with the new move.

Military spokesman, Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, however, has given a slightly different version of the May 9 meeting where, according to him, tribal reform package was discussed and approved. Quoting the president, the military spokesman said that “only the best available officers will be posted to the tribal regions, whether from civil service or from anywhere else.”

Officers so selected, he quoted the president as saying, should have knowledge of local language, Pushto, and should be bold enough to take on challenges in the tribal region. “Because it is a very challenging and demanding job,” Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said.

The proponents of posting military officers to the region appear to have taken a leaf from the British history of expeditions and rule in the region. Also , the decision appears to have stemmed from the military’s general perception of inefficiency and corruption in civil service and; by taking such a major policy shift, the military hopes to improve trust and coordination between military political agents and the forces operating in the region.