Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant-General
Khalid Rabbani during a seminar on ‘War on
terror and role of Pakistan Army’ at University
of Peshawar (UoP) on April 17 said that no
Army in the world could win war without the
support of its countrymen and ‘political ownership’
of the ongoing military operations in militancy-hit
areas of the country was necessary to achieve
long-lasting peace, reported Dawn.
He termed the “gradual mainstreaming” of Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and its infrastructure
development a key towards socio-economic development
of the area.
The Corps Commander said that from 2008 to
2012, the Government’s writ had been re-established
in 91 per cent of FATA, while the situation
in the remaining areas was under control.
He said around 3,300 Pakistan Army personnel
had lost lives in the line of duty in the
war against terrorism and more than 10,000
had been severely injured in various operations.
Army had conducted more than 300 major and
760 minor operations in militancy-hit areas
over the last few years, mostly in 2009-10.
He said peace had been restored in the entire
northern region of Pakistan and road accesses
to most of FATA had been established. He further
added that the Army was also working on a
sustainable development plan for FATA to improve
livelihood of locals, adding, that the Army
had been carrying out 52 educational projects
in the region. |
