Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, federal minister for state and frontier regions (SAFRON) has said that tribal people in general and Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan in particular rendered great sacrifices during the war on terror, admitting the government has failed to ensure their repatriation after nine long years of their displacement.
He expressed these views at a ceremony organized by National Testing Service (NTS)-Pakistan regarding scholarships awards for Mehsud IDPs talented and deserving students of South Waziristan.
NTS announced scholarships IDPs after the military announced some areas clear of militants in the SWA—a restive tribal region in FATA.
He praised the NTS for taking part in nation building process for allocation of Rs. 10 million fund for IDPs of SWA.
Apart from NTS officials, Senators and Members National Assembly (MNAs) from South Waziristan, Fata, and other stakeholders attended the ceremony.
He said that tribal offered gigantic services in the freedom of Azad Jammu and Kashmir during 1948. “Mehsud tribesmen had a lion share in freedom of Kashmir. It is a huge responsibility of us all to share to educate the displaced kids,” Baloch added.
After 9/11, infrastructure in tribal belt had been totally damaged, he added that donors and other stakeholders would be invited to come forward to rebuild Fata region.
In view of the current situation in parts of tribal areas, NTS Pakistan in collaboration with Mahsud Welfare Association (MWA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the scholarships.
Senator Saleh Shah while speaking on the occasion appreciated the step taken by the NTS and said that it was a wonderful move by the NTS, which should be continued.
Speaking on the occasion, MNA Jamaluddin said that it was a bold initiative by the NTS and this should be sustained in long-term.
Dr. Sher Zada Khan, Chief Operating Officer NTS, said that his organization which is well aware of its social responsibilities towards social and education uplift of society at large and creation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) division to help support the efforts in improving socio-economic condition of underprivileged, and make Pakistan a developed economy is testimony to this fact.
In 2009, Pakistan military launched anti-insurgents operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation) in SWA, which triggered mass exodus of tribal families to down districts of the country.
The situation in this tribal belt resulted in closure of schools and colleges which left far-reaching negative impact on the education of the students. Majority of the students couldn’t continue their studies due to financial problems.
It was in this situation that the elders including civil servants of the Mehsud tribe joined hands to help needy students to continue their studies, which resulted in creation of MWA— a non-profit organization. The mission and vision of the Association is to prevent students from dropping out of schools due to financial problems.