North Waziristan, March 03 (APP): Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says terrorism has been eliminated and now the country is heading for development and prosperity.
Addressing tribal elders at Spinwam in North Waziristan on Friday afternoon, he said the entire nation including tribal people have rendered huge sacrifices for the elimination of terrorism.
He said personnel of security forces, police and other national institutions sacrificed their lives.
The Prime Minister said it is due to the sacrifices of our people that the country has now been safe from terrorists.
He said that the entire nation, political parties and provincial governments worked together for elimination of menace of terrorism. He said now a new era of development has been launched in the whole area especially North Waziristan.
Nawaz Sharif said that the government has launched a program to bring maximum area under cultivation across the country. He said besides mega projects, small schemes will also be completed on rivers for this purpose.
Nawaz Sharif said his government is paying special attention to development of backward areas including FATA, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Biltistan.
He said the federal government has devised a comprehensive plan for economic development of tribal areas.
He said all the Temporarily Displaced Persons of FATA will be sent back to their native areas this year.
The prime minister said land has been acquired for Diamer Basha Dam with one hundred and sixteen billion rupees. Work on the construction of the dam will start this year.
Nawaz Sharif said Lowari Tunnel will be completed within next four months. The present government has spent twenty five billion rupees on the project during the last three years.
Earlier, Prime Minister performed the ground breaking ceremony of Kurram Tangi Dam in North Waziristan this afternoon by un-veiling the plaque.
The dame will be completed at a cost of twenty-three billion rupees in two phases. The first phase will be completed in three years.
The dam will have the capacity of storing one point two million acres feet water.
On completion, it will generate eighty-three point four megawatts electricity besides irrigating three hundred and sixty-two thousand acres land in North Waziristan and Bannu.
Federal Minister Khawaja Asif, Akram Khan Durrani, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Advisor to the Prime Minister Engineer Amir Muqam and Ameer JUI(F) Maulana Fazalur Rehman were also present on the occasion.
APP/Zaheer
