There are many political observers who would take with a pinch of salt Sartaj Aziz’s statement that the FATA has been cleared of the terrorists to the extent of 98 percent . Granted that our valiant armed forces have done a commendable job in breaking the back of the terrorists but there should be no room for any complacency. The task of the armed forces is, by no means, over . Let us pray that 2016 strikes the last nail in the coffin of the terrorism in this country. The government should not take lightly reports of emergence of Daesh in the country and must nip this evil in the bud also before it could spread its tentacles far and wide. Side by side, rehabilitation of the IDPs would be sine qua non for bringing back normalcy in our tribal belt. The governor KPK would have to doubly ensure that the officers with impeccable financial integrity and having a grasp on tribal customs and considered to be the cream of civil service are posted as political agents in the FATA instead of the nominees of politicians as a great deal will depend on them to oversee reconstruction of the broken infra structure and all other types of rehabilitation work. It is they who would have to set the ball rolling after the army completes its job and return to its barracks. The special committee appointed by the government is already touring FATA to sound out the tribesmen about the reforms which it wants to introduce in the administrative set up of the tribal belt. The earlier it completes its task the better for the future of FATA.
Now that almost all those areas inside FATA like Shawal or Tirah, to mention a few, which once used to be off-limits for the political administration, have been opened up by the armed forces, it is about time the government utilised this opportunity and constructed roads and develop other essential infrastructure in these areas. A massive developmental plan for FATA is the need of the hour. Experience of hindsight reveals that most of the developmental budget meant for FATA in the past had gone down the drain because of the extremely poor building material used in the construction work. This tendency would have to be curbed this time round if the authorities really want that the full benefits of development reach the common tribesman.
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