Maulvi Halim Khan, who is often dubbed as a leading militant leader in the Mir Ali region of North Waziristan, has now become a leading government contractor and is presently overseeing the construction of some of the important roads in the area. To some, he is an active leader of Taliban militants.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that Maulvi Halim Khan was a blue-eyed boy of the government functionaries looking after the affairs of NWA— the region considered a stronghold of local and foreign militants. When asked, neither civilian nor military officials were willing to comment on the procedure that led the government to award Khan the contract for a development project worth million of rupees. However, the officials in the political administration of Miranshah in North Waziristan and FATA Secretariat in Peshawar confirmed the awarding of construction contract to Khan.
The projects involve construction of a number of roads and tube-wells in the area. The sources informed that government through Maulvi Halim Khan was building two important roads. One seven kilometres long and another 3km long with an estimated cost of Rs 100 million. Khan was also tasked to build four tube-wells in scattered areas of Khushhali Torikhel in Mirali sub division with an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 million to 4 million for each unit. It was also learnt that on Maulvi Halim Khan’s suggestions, the government functionaries had asked the TESCO to expand Mir Ali Grid Station and allocate a separate power feeder for Khan’s neighbourhood —Khushhali Torikhel.