PM lauds tribesmen relief contribution
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Thursday that the patriotic and valiant tribesmen have always played vital role in protecting and safeguarding interest of the country especially against odd hours and the entire nation was proud of their rich traditions. He said their love and affection for the country was beyond any doubt, the Pime Minister chairing a meeting on FATA development here at Governor House. Governor NWFP Khalil ur Rehman, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Jehangir Tareen, Minmisters of State Amir Muqam, Omer Ayub Khaan and Advisor to PM on Economic Affairs Dr Salman Shah attended the briefing. The Prime Minister said that tribesmen have always stood beside their countrymen whenever they were called with special reference to natural calamities and played active role in the mitigating sufferings of the ailing humanity. The Prime Minister praised their spirit of generosity and brotherhood.
He said, the spirit demonstrated by the people today when the nation has been struck by a great national calamity surpassed even of 1965. “This is a great national tragedy and we have to stand together”, he maintained. The government has initiated a network of development projects in the FATA to bring tribal areas at par with the national development. The Federal Government, he said during the last five years had greatly increased the annual development programme of FATA with main focus on development of education, health, agriculture and irrigation. In education, the Prime Minister laid great stress on promotion of female education because illiterate nation could not make progress. He held categorical assurance that the fast pace of development in tribal regions would continue till the time basic amenities of life reach doors step of the tribesmen. He also mentioned about increasing health care facilities in the tribal areas.
The Prime Minister said that the government wants that tribal areas to develop and prosper and explore all avenues there for the benefit of the tribal people and directed the staff of the FATA secretariat to concentrate on generating economic activities in FATA. He said, big investors and traders from FATA are now coming in limelight and their expertise could be utilised for the same in tribal belt. Referring to ongoing operation in Waziristan, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said it was against elements trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in tribal belt for their political ends. He said in fact foreign elements in tribal areas are influencing the local tribesmen and instigate them for Jihad which was against the interest of the country. He said, the government would not allow any body to use our soil for subversive activities. He said that Pakistan extended all out help and assistance to the displaced Afghan and stood by them during last over two decades and added that “we played our role of neighbour”. He said still 3.5 million refugees are living in Pakistan whereas 80 000 Pak army troops have been deployed along the Western border to check infiltration. He praised the army for maintaining peace in the region that made possible holding of Afghan Presidential and Afghan parliamentary elections in a smooth manner.
He said peace and tranquillity had a direct bearing on the development of an area therefore; the government would do everything to maintain the same in FATA. The tribesmen, he said, should be told that peace and harmony was in their best interest. The Prime Minister said he would also visit two tribal agencies at an to apprise himself of development taking place. He directed second tranch of Rs.250 million be released under PM development fund to FATA Secretariat.