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| India-Pakistan |
| Governance system in NWFP, Tribal Areas heading towards collapse: Ghani |
| 2008-02-01 |
| NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said on Thursday that the governance system in the Tribal Areas and the Frontier province was “heading towards [a] state of collapse” and its revival would be his greatest challenge. “There are abnormal circumstances, unusual challenges … an unconventional environment needs an unconventional approach,” Owais told a group of journalists in his first interaction with media since he took over on January 7. “It is difficult, complicated, [but] it is manageable. But the high level of despondency in the society and the administration is a matter of deep concern for me.” Demoralised: He said the administration was “despondent, demoralised and weak”. “We need the nation’s backing” to fight extremists, he said, “and I need the administration’s backing. It will be a great challenge for me.” But he dispelled the impression that he supported military action as the only solution. Administrative vacuum: He said commissioners and deputy commissioners coordinated between the tribal and settled areas before President Musharraf’s devolution plan was implemented. The new plan, he said, had resulted in an “administrative vacuum” and the federal government was considering measures to “reverse the situation”. He referred to the federal government’s recent approval of the regional coordination officer to coordinate between tribal and settled regions. The office of the political agent in Tribal Areas and the district coordination officer in the NWFP would be strengthened, he said. Militancy, the governor said, was a multi-dimensional problem. “It has external, political and socio-economic factors and we need a multi-dimensional approach. But no quick fixes.” He said the roots of militancy were in the 30 years of conflict in Afghanistan. “Pakistan is not responsible for it. Did Pakistan invite the Russians, Osama and NATO? No! Pakistan is battling the fallout.” “The fight against militancy is the fight for Pakistan,” he said. The governor said he had told US and British envoys to stop poppy cultivation in Afghanistan or “the country will be lost”. “Four years I ago, I told US and British envoys in Pakistan the name “global war on terror” is misphrased. “It should be war on global terror.” He said there had to be a “parallel political strategy” in Afghanistan. “The US has to come up with political strategy irrespective of the length of someone’s beards.” Ghani admitted to having contacts with the militants in North Waziristan. “Peaceful means will be given full opportunity,” he said. “Contacts will never be broken.” Negotiations for a possible peace deal would be considered if initial discussions suggest a “conducive environment”, he added. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Heading? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-01 08:57 |