ISLAMABAD: States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Minister Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch has said that priority would be given for the development of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The people of FATA had given a lot of sacrifices due to war against terrorism, he said while talking to a news channel.
The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government had taken the initiative for reforms in FATA so that the people of that area could enjoy the fundamental rights without facing any difficulty, he said.
All the stakeholders wanted to merge FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but time would be required to implement the wishes of the people in this regard, he said.
The present government was focusing on the development of FATA, and in this connection, a huge amount would be spent to achieve the progress, he added.
The government wanted to empower the people of FATA so that they could select their representatives for resolving the issues of the area, the minister said.
To a question, Baloch said that while running the government in the past, Pakistan People’s Party could not take the initiative regarding reforms in FATA.
He, however, said that it was the responsibility of the political parties to work for the development of the region.
