NWFP, FATA unrest manageable: Ghani
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—The NWFP Governor, Owais Ahmed Ghani has said “though, we are faced with a difficult and complex problem in certain parts of NWFP and FATA, yet, the situation is manageable and a prudent strategy has been evolved to tackle the issues”.
Talking to a group of the participants of 21st Air War Course of PAF Air War College, Karachi, who called on him at Governor’s House, Peshawar on Friday, the Governor said, “Indeed the issues involved are multi-faceted and require multi-dimensional approach”. In fact, he added, the things have already started improving both in the province and FATA, which is encouraging.
However, he said, socio-economic development process on fast track basis, coupled with creating employment opportunities on vast level are one of the important aspects of the policies of the government to improve the situation, especially in FATA and hectic efforts are under way to arrange financial resources to implement the projects for this purpose. The most encouraging aspect in connection, he remarked, is that the concerned populace was highly receptive to the approach and its development policies of the government. At the same time, he said, political process is also in progress and people are engaged to reach to workable solutions. The Governor also clarified that the government was quite conscious of the ground realities which demanded both short and long term policies to bring sustainable stability in the area.
Owais Ahmed Ghani also pointed out that the circumstances confronted in our country, especially in this province and FATA were the direct fall outs of the situation prevailing across the border over the period of almost past 30 years and an holistic approach is required for this purpose. Therefore, he added, one has to understand the problems in the given circumstances. The Governor also responded to a number of points from the participants in the long session.
Referring to a question, he said, the FATA had a different set of administrative system and under the law of collective responsibility, the tribes are responsible to ensure safety and security in their respective areas and the steps taken by the government, were completely in accordance with local rewaj and the prevailing system of governance. While evaluating the prevailing situation in FATA, the Governor also pointed out certain clandestine elements are also seemed to have crept in militancy in the area, besides the religiously motivated people. However, he pointed out that the Ulema and the people are being mobilized against militancy in FATA in order to find a sustainable solution and the response was also appreciable.
Talking on another point, the Governor said, the tremendous increase in poppy production in Afghanistan being cultivated over an area of 400,000 acres is also seemed to becoming a major factor in fanning the militancy and causing sustainable de-stability in the region and there existed indications that the narco money was proving a perpetual funding line to encourage extremism and terrorism.