Strict ban on politicking in Fata ordered

Governor Lieutenant General Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Retd) has directed the political authorities to ensure enforcement of ban on politicking in Fata.
He also urged the need of curbing the road blockade incidences in different areas and said that no one should be allowed to take the law into his hand and such people must be punished under the law of the land.
He issued these directives while presiding a high-level meeting at Governor's House Nathiagali on Wednesday that reviewed the law and order situation in Fata.
He especially referred to the Peshawar-Torkham Road, saying that being an international route, smooth and uninterrupted flow of traffic must be ensured.
The meeting besides the Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, Home Secretary, Abdul Karim Qasuria, Inspector General Frontier Corps, Major General Hamid Khan, IGP Riffat Pasha and Commandant Frontier Constabulary, Israr Shinwari was also attend by Secretary to Governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmed, Secretary Fata (Security) Brigadier Mehmood Shah (Retd), and all the political agents.
The meeting also discussed a number of problems relating to law and order situation and took certain decision.
The Political agents briefed the meeting in detail about the prevailing situation and different incidences occurred during the previous fortnight in their respective agencies.
Brigadier (Retd) Mahmood Shah, Secretary Fata (Security) presented an overall review of the law and order situation in Fata with special reference to the situation in South and North Waziristan Agencies, repatriation process of Afghan refugees, situation in Orakzai Agency, operation in FR Lakki, smuggling as well as other related problems and issues.
The governor took serious note of the situation in FR Lakki and directed the concerned authorities to make the ongoing operation result-oriented.
He also directed the political authorities that besides punishing the respective tribes and people involved in use of heavy weapons all such weapons must also be confiscated.
Referring to the proposed Agency Councils the governor said that members comprising those councils would not be nominated by the government rather they would be elected by the respective tribes and sub-tribes through the traditional 'jirga' process.
"The basic idea behind forming those councils was to involve the people in the decision making and monitoring process at the local gross root level", he added.
Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah urged that the root causes of the issues and problems in Fata must be identified, addressed and properly focussed, so that writ of the government be further strengthened.
The political authorities would have full backing and all out support of the government in this regard, he concluded.