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US assistance to continue till completion of rehabilitation: Crocker
PARACHINAR, Nov 23 : US Ambassador to Pakistan, Ryan C Crocker has pledged his country would continue its ongoing assistance to Pakistan till the complete rehabilitation of earthquake victims in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
He was addressing a tribal Jirga (council) during a visit to the Kurram tribal agency.
Political Agent Kurram Agency Salim Khan received the US envoy upon his arrival in the agency by an official helicopter.
The political agent briefed Crocker about under-construction development projects and law and security arrangements in the agency.
Ryan C Crocker said the US government wanted to bring positive changes in life of the people of tribal areas and in this regard a number of crucial development projects had already been launched.
Besides other sectors, Crocker said the US government would like to focus on education in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and more schools would be opened there.
The US ambassador visited Geedo and Mukhranai towns on the Pak-Afghan border and observed security arrangements and also inspected several ongoing development schemes being run with US financial assistance.
He said the US government was aware of the problems being faced by the tribal people and wanted to contribute in giving the incentives and making their life comfortable.
Earlier, prominent tribal elders — including Malik Haji Nauroz, Malik Fakhar Zaman and Malik Muhammad Alam Chamkani—addressed the Jirga and informed the US envoy of their role that helped Pakistani security forces to capture hundreds of important al-Qaeda fugitives fleeing neighbouring Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban regime.
They said whenever any non-Pakistani entered their region they immediately caught him and handed over to the Pakistani authorities.
In response to an appeal by the US envoy asking them to avoid poppy cultivation, the tribal elders assured him of their full cooperation, but urged him to give them a share from the special package allocated for poppy growing areas.
They informed him about their problems related to education, health, electricity and other sectors.
The tribal chieftains demanded of the US ambassador to help improve the road condition between Parachinar and Kabul and start transit facilities like Torkham near Jalalabad, which would have positive impacts on the regional politics and also would reduce distance between the two countries.
The authorities made unprecedented security arrangements during visit of the American ambassador in the agency.