ISLAMABAD – FATA Secretariat Additional Chief Secretary Habibullah Khan on Saturday said a major revision of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) had been completed and a final announcement in this regard had to be made by the president of Pakistan.
Talking to reporters after attending the meeting of the special committee of the Public Accounts Committee, he said the federal government was focusing on developing and equipping the Levies Force to replace the Khasadar Force.
“In fact, Khasadar Force is technically not a regular force, as it just consists of representatives of various tribes,” he added.
Ruling out the possibility of fencing the Pak-Afghan border, he said more than 25 tribes were divided by Durand Line with permanent “easement rights”, granted by the British government in the subcontinent, for cross border movement without visa or permit.
He said more than 200 drone strikes had been carried out by NATO forces in Tribal Areas, but less than four complaints, which were fully compensated, were received by the FATA Secretariat.
Earlier, the PAC special committee was informed that FATA would get the status of financial self reliance in the next five years due to the extension of road network to Afghanistan, Motorway and the Indus Highway via Angore Adda, Khyber Agency and Nawan Pass.
The committee meeting, which was chaired Riaz Hussain Pirzada, was also informed that terrorist hideouts in FATA were vanishing, as the terrorists were leaving the Tribal Areas after successful military operations.
Khan told the committee that the federal government, the United Arab Emirates and the US were taking practical steps for development activities in FATA.
He said the geo-strategic location of FATA could transform it into a trade corridor.
To a question about security arrangements for NATO supply line, Khan told reporters that several measures, including understanding with tribal elders and increased patrolling, had been taken to secure the NATO supply convoys.
