Self-sustainability: Interest-free loans announced to help FATA tribes people start businesses

Rs10,000 to Rs50,000 to be given in easy instalments

PESHAWAR: Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed announced interest-free loans for tribespeople so they can start their own businesses.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by FATA Law and Order Secretary Shakeel Qadir and the scheme head of a Lahore-based organisation Akhuwat, Muhammad Amjad Saqib, on Friday at Governor House.

Loan scheme

Under the scheme, Rs500 million will be released by FATA Secretariat to Akhuwat so deserving families are given loans to run businesses, starting from Rs10,000 up to Rs50,000 in easy instalments.

“0.8 million families have so far been given Rs16 billion in loans under the scheme,” Saqib told the journalists on the occasion. “The recovery rate of the loans was 99.8%.”



The governor also spoke on the occasion, discussing the repatriation of the displaced people of North Waziristan Agency (NWA). Mehtab said the federal government has earmarked Rs100 billion to support IDPs financially.

Repatriation started in March and since then around 30,000 families have sent back.  Moreover, added the governor, Rs600 million has been released for the restoration of water supply, electricity and infrastructure in the affected areas. “Rs1 billion has already been issued to the relevant departments.”

Slow return

Mehtab commented on the slow pace of return of NWA IDPs of, saying the government would review the repatriation plan after Ramazan.

He added military offensives under way in certain areas of the agency and the opposition of tribespeople was causing somewhat of a delay.

“However, the pace of return in Khyber Agency is encouraging.” The governor maintained it would be considered a big achievement if at least 400,000 IDPs are repatriated to Khyber Agency by August.

However, the displaced families of North Waziristan would not be left behind; “the government would review the repatriation plan for them in accordance with their expectations.”

The governor extolled the contributions of the displaced tribespeople, saying the offensives “made it possible for security forces to uproot strong networks of militants”. He said the war against militancy devastated the tribal set up and caused losses to precious lives although it was not their war.

“Therefore, the government was left with no option but to embark on military actions.” These displaced people deserve to be sent back to their areas with honour and dignity, said the governor.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2015.