Peshawar:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah announced on Thursday that the provincial government had approved 2 billion rupees for the rehabilitation of people affected by the current operation in Bajaur.
Addressing the media at the ceremony of hazeling the independence flag at the civilian secretariat, Shahab said that the operation in Bajaur was a targeted intelligence campaign, and not a large -scale military offensive, aimed at identifying the area of terrorist elements and restoring peace.
He said the security forces clean the houses along the roads in the affected areas and that the displaced residents will be able to return soon. “Wherever government measures are taken against terrorists, some local populations must temporarily move for their own security,” he said, adding that the government takes all possible measures to ensure their protection and provide assistance.
The chief secretary said that the provincial cabinet had already sanctioned 2 billion rupees to facilitate the immediate rehabilitation of affects so that their difficulties are attenuated and that normal life can resume quickly.
Answering a question, Shahab said that a meeting had taken place with the Jirga and the local administration to discuss the means of restoring normality. “The terrorists who came to the merged districts are there for an insane war. Wherever they operate, trade, education and all normal activities stop. Their work consists in attacking, and the work of the police and the security forces is to protect,” he noted.
He noted that the current situation in merged districts is largely the result of the effects of the benefits of a neighboring country, but stressed that the provincial government and security agencies are determined, by mutual cooperation, to establish lasting peace.
