President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday said that Pakistan was determined to meet its security challenges in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and was deploying every possible mean for peace and stability in the restive region.
Addressing a conference titled ‘FATA - In the shadow of the military pullout from Afghanistan’, the President said the FATA had been gravely affected by the decade-old war in Afghanistan.
The conference was organized by Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI) and the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIS) at the ISSI centre here.
President Mamnoon said it was important to understand that the US-ISAF drawdown from Afghanistan would bring new challenges in the FATA region as well as the whole tribal belt at large.
“We need to give greater attention towards this region for ensuring lasting peace, stability and development,” he said.
The President said stable conditions of peace and security in the country and the region were the pre-requisite for progress and development of the country. He said the aim of the government of Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan is to promote peace and stability there.
He stressed that drone attacks promote pro-conflict ideology, inflow of well-armed militants from the Afghan conflict importing extremist ideologies and practices. The insurgency is sustained from a variety of domestic and international financial sources, he added.
He said appreciating the invaluable contributions and sacrifices of FATA’s brave people, the Government of Pakistan accords highest priority towards the socio-economic development and the uplift of the people of FATA.
Web Desk
