Gen Raheel Sharif greets a student at the Army Public School in Chagmalai. PHOTO: APP
“We have made considerable gains in our operations and reached close to our objective of total elimination of terrorism from our soil,” Gen Raheel said while addressing a jirga of tribal elders in North Waziristan.
In what appears to be his farewell visit to the tribal regions, Gen Raheel spent a day in North and South Waziristan, which were once hotbed of local and foreign militant groups. To his credit, peace slowly but surely is returning to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Gen Raheel was briefed about the progress of stablisation operations, return of temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) and development works in Fata.
Expressing his satisfaction on the progress of return of TDPs, the army chief commended the efforts of everyone involved in ensuring their smooth and timely return with dignity and honour. He directed them to complete the return of the remaining TDPs within stipulated time before close of the year 2016.
As part of a comprehensive rehab and reconstruction effort, significant rehab projects were commissioned today.
The 84km-long Bannu-Miranshah-Ghulam Khan Road funded by USAID and constructed by the Frontier Works Organisation was opened. This would become the shortest trade route to Afghanistan reducing travelling time between Bannu and the Ghulam Khan Border Post from six hours to an hour and a half, said ISPR. The road completes the 705km-long strategic central trade corridor to Afghanistan.
The army chief also inaugurated state-of-the-art Younus Khan sports stadium with a packed crowd of viewers watching an inaugural match played between the Fata Eleven and Younis Khan Eleven. He expressed the hope that enormous talent of Fata youth will be honed with upcoming educational and sports facilities and with no dearth of talent, their aspirations to rise at the international level will be accomplished.
Paying glowing tributes to tribal people, the army chief lauded them for their full support to the security forces in their effort for peace and stability of the region. He assured them that the army and government were determined to ensure all promises made for their socio-economic development were delivered to open avenues of prosperity and socio-economic turnaround.
“We will give a secure and prosperous Pakistan to our future generations”, he added.
The tribal elders thanked Gen Raheel for cleansing their area of terrorists, bringing peace and ensuring a quality reconstruction work.
Earlier, Gen Raheel and his wife also visited South Waziristan to see one of the newly opened army public schools in Chagmalai and spent time with students.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2016.
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