Peshawar, August 21(ANI): After facing delays and threats of cuts in aid from the United States, Pakistan has decided to add Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to its list of allies from whom it will seek funding for development projects in its tribal areas.
At a background briefing, a high-ranking military official said that the government had spent about 45 billion rupees to help people affected by the campaign against militants in various parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
"Of this amount, Rs10 billion was provided by Saudi Arabia alone," The Express Tribune quoted the official, as saying.
"The money required to assist refugees returning to Kurram by August 25 is also part of this funding," the official added.
The official also claimed that all active military operations in FATA had been completed, which is why the government had begun focusing on development and reconstruction, and seeking foreign assistance.
"We have been promised $100 million (Rs8.6 billion) by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for this purpose, and we expect to receive the money over the next few days," he said.
On August 12, President Asif Ali Zardari enacted several changes to the way FATA is governed, which, according to the official, were part of the government's effort to develop the tribal regions and improve their governance.
"The newly-appointed political agents and the Fata Secretariat have been told to focus on the development of the tribal areas, prior to anything else," the official said. "This money will be very handy in helping them produce results." (ANI)
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