Nasib Shah Shinwari
LANDIKOTAL: The chief of army staff (COAS), Gen.Qamar Javed Bajwa said to the elders of Khyber Agency in the Landikotal army garrison on Friday that Pakistan wants friendly and enduring relations with Afghanistan.
Talking to local journalists the tribal elder Malak Darya Khan Afridi, Malak Waris Khan Afridi, former senator Muhammad Shah Afridi and Malak Nadeem Afridi said that various matters came under discussion with the COAS about terrorism, peace, the unemployment in Fata and Fata reforms.
Noted top security officials including the political agent of Khyber Agency Khalid Mehmood and the assistant political agents of Landikotal, Jamrud and Bara subdivisions were also present during the COAS visit to Landikotal.
Malak Darya Khan Afridi said that the army chief clearly stated that Pakistan wants friendly relations with Afghanistan.
He said quoting the army chief of Pakistan that peace in Afghanistan guarantees peace in Pakistan regions.
The elders said the army chief stated that they wanted to take the people of Fata into confidence before bringing reforms and changing the future of Fata regions.
Malak Nadeem Afridi said the army chief praised the people of Fata and offered sacrifices during Russian aggression on Afghanistan and during the war against terrorism which would be always remembered.
The army of Pakistan wants to bring peace to the whole country including the Fata region. The elders said.
Nadeem Afridi said the army chief stated that in the recent past, he has called on the president of Afghanistan ‘Ashraf Ghani’ and the ambassador of Afghanistan in Pakistan ‘Omar Zakhilwal’ and discuss various aspects of Pak-Afghan relations.
Soon grand Jirga of Afghanistan elders, and political party leaders would jointly meet in Afghanistan with elders and political party leaders from Pakistan and Fata at a grand Jirga in Afghanistan. The elders said quoting the COAS statement.
Quoting the COAS the elder said that delegations and participants of the grand Jirga would discuss how to eliminate terrorism from the region to bring peace to both countries.
The tribal elders said that the army chief announced that Rs.1.50 billion would be spent on various developmental projects in Fata regions to make Fata people more prosperous and developed.
The chief of the Pakistan army said that fencing on the Pak-Afghan border was only aimed at stopping the entry of terrorists and drug peddlers to maintain peace in the regions. The tribal elders said.
Earlier former federal minister Malak Waris Khan Afridi presented a welcome address to the COAS and other security and civil officers.
Malak Waris Khan Afridi during the welcome address said that the amount of Rs. 0.4 million which was announced for the owners of the destroyed house in Bara was less.
He demanded the amount to reconstruct the destroyed houses should be increased.
