LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), April 21: NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai has urged tribesmen to shun their differences and get united against extremist elements.

Addressing the passing-out parade of Khyber Rifles in Landi Kotal on Saturday, the governor lauded sacrifices rendered by tribesmen for the country and regretted that successive governments had intentionally kept the tribal areas backward.

He said the present government was sincere in developing the tribal areas and had allocated billions of rupees for a number of development schemes. He said the government had committed itself to eradicating poverty and unemployment from Fata and was taking practical steps in this regard.

He said the security of country’s western frontiers lay with the tribesmen and asked them to refrain from providing shelter to foreigners. Mr Aurakzai sought tribesmen’s help in identifying militants and extremists.

The governor said the world attention was focused on Fata after the 9/11 incident. He regretted that the tribal areas of Pakistan were identified with terrorists and asked the tribesmen to join hands for restoring peace in the region.

He said that peace was imperative for the development of tribal areas and added that the government was using all options to restore peace in the troubled region of Fata.

About the formation of tribal Lashkar against foreign militants in Waziristan, the governor said the government was not in favour of use of force in the tribal areas, but the operation against foreign militants in Fata was in the national interest. He lauded the role of Waziristan elders and hoped that people of the area would get united against extremists.

Mr Aurakzai paid tributes to 160 personnel of law-enforcement agencies who had lost their lives while fighting against militants in different regions of Fata and said the government was providing free medical and educational facilities to their children. He said residential plots were also being provided to families of the dead soldiers.