RAWALPINDI: The Apex Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and FATA Saturday took serious notice of the issue of extortion calls being made to people of Peshawar from Pak-Afghan border region.
The committee decided to shut down illegal communication towers inside Pakistani territory. A high-level delegation would soon visit Kabul to engage with Afghan authorities to seek cooperation for resolution of the issue, a statement issued by the ISPR after the meeting said. The committee also discussed border management at all crossing points, especially at Torkham. It decided to enforce border crossing mechanism in true letter and spirit. The committee expressed complete satisfaction over progress of last phase of operation in Shawal and ongoing intelligence-based operations in the province. It also reviewed resettlement and return of temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) and border management at Torkham.
Paying rich tribute to the resilience and courage of proud tribesmen, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif said,” With unflinching resolve and courage, our proud tribesmen of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and people of KP stood up to atrocities of the terrorists, pushed them back and marginalized them in the society, which deserves the highest of accolade.”
He reiterated his commitment with tribal brethren to rebuild the area and revive entire socio-economic infrastructure. The COAS appreciated harmony among all the stakeholders as well as organisations involved and directed them to expedite the pace of work and ensure its best quality. KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and Chief Minister Parvez Khattak appreciated the wholehearted support of Pakistan Army and reiterated the resolve of FATA and the provincial government to rid the province of terrorism and extremism and pave way for development and well-being of the people.
Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, Peshawar corps commander and senior provincial and FATA Secretariat officers attended the meeting.
