President Mamnoon Hussain reiterated the resolve to take all necessary measures for the socio-economic uplift of tribal areas and bringing the region at par with the developed parts of the country. The President paid rich tributes to the sacrifices rendered by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency in the wake of military operation Zarb-e-Azb and assured of government's commitment for their early rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, in the area.
He said this while meeting a delegation of parliamentarians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and a group of IDPs from NWA, who called on him here in Peshawar, says a press release issued here on Monday.
The people of the tribal belt of Pakistan are loyal and patriot citizens of the land and need to be provided with equal opportunities to excel in life. The President said the tribal areas are naturally gifted with resources which must be exploited to the benefit of the local people in particular and the country in general, directing that pace on the ongoing development projects in FATA must be speeded up for ensuring timely completion of these projects. Creation of economic opportunities and provision of employment would improve the living standard of the tribal people, he added.
He said the sacrifices of IDPs would benefit the entire nation after the menace of militancy and terrorism was rooted out, adding that the entire nation is proud of their bravery and prays for their peace, security and early return to their native places. The President praised the determination of FATA people for standing as a bulwark against the tide of militancy and extremism, hoping that the scourge of militancy would be eradicated completely with the aid of tribal people.
He lauded the resolve of security forces and intelligence agencies for restoring the writ of the government in the area and trust of the people, hoping that the success of Zarb-e-Azb would contribute greatly towards achieving peace and stability in the country. The meeting also took stock of the overall law-and-order situation of FATA and developmental work being carried out in the area. It was apprised that as many as 7,728 people have lost their lives and 12,656 injured as a result of militant activities carried out in FATA in addition to an estimated massive damage of Rs 35,481 million caused to the infrastructure in FATA.
Regarding the award of scholarships to students of FATA in federal universities, it was informed that almost 800 scholarships were being awarded by HEC to FATA students. The delegation of FATA parliamentarians included, among others, MNA Bilal Rehman, MNA Sajid Hussain Turi, MNA Syed Ghazi Gulab Jamal, MNA Ghalib Khan, Senator Hilal-ur-Rehman, Senator Muhammad Saleh Shah and Senator Hidayatullah.-PR