Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan Tuesday launched first-ever FATA Sustainable Return and Rehabilitation Strategy which aims at ensuring progressive and sustainable return of entire Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs).
The strategy, developed with technical support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), would encourage their safe, voluntary return as this comprehensive plan seeks to establish an enabling environment in TDPs areas of origin in FATA.
Federal minister for SAFRON, Lieutenant General Abdul Qadir Baloch (retd), Ambassadors of different countries, Additional Chief secretary FATA, Azam Khan, Principal Secretary to Governor Dr Mohammad Fakhre Alam and other relative officials of FATA secretariat were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said the launch of the first-ever strategy is indeed a moment of satisfaction for all. The need for such a Strategy has been evident for a long time, the Governor said and added he is delighted that launch of the Strategy has coincided with his administration's efforts to facilitate the return of TDP families. "I firmly believe "rebuilding lives" in FATA is the most important task at hand for my administration and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we support the people of FATA to rebuild their lives in a suitable manner," he added.
The government has put in place a phased plan of returns for the TDPs, beginning with first phase of returns to South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Khyber Agencies from March 2015. While there has been considerable effort in the past to organise TDP's return to FATA, this is the first time that the FATA Secretariat has set out a comprehensive return and rehabilitation plan for the entire region.
The initial focus is on implementation of five key pillars of action over 24 months across entire FATA. The budget for the rehabilitation activities are US $120 million. The five main pillars of rehabilitation include rehabilitating physical infrastructure, strengthening law and order, expanding government service delivery, reactivating and strengthening the economy, and strengthening social cohesion and peace building. The strategy seeks to bridge long-term development and governance reforms in FATA.
The strategy is part of a larger rehabilitation and reconstruction effort, including return grants, conditional cash transfers, housing rehabilitation and infrastructure reconstruction, which would require about $800 million.
UN Resident Co-ordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Dr Jacqui Badcock said the Strategy is indeed an exemplary effort by government of Pakistan to link ongoing humanitarian and recover efforts with reconstruction, long term development and reforms in FATA.
The United Nations is proud to have been able to support the development of such a comprehensive strategy and they look forward to working together with the government during the implementation stage, Dr Jacqui said. Secretary Planning and Development, FATA Secretariat, Shakeel Qadir Khan presented salient features of the strategy and said itself takes inspiration from the post-crisis needs assessment strategy and focuses on trying to remedy the limited progress to date in the areas of governance, law and order, economic development and social cohesion.
It also seeks to address pending infrastructure rehabilitation needs he said and added this Strategy is in line with the longer development plan presented in the FATA Sustainable Development Plan 2007-2015, and the reforms agenda being developed by the FRC to establish a roadmap for constitutional, institutional and legal reforms.
It has worth mentioning here that Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is among the most underdeveloped regions of Pakistan. Since 2008, large populations were frequently displaced to and from FATA, from all the agencies.
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