Pakistan Army has started handing over its check-posts in South Waziristan Agency to the Frontier Corps (FC), IG FC South Maj Gen Abid Latif Khan told media on Friday.
“The number of checkpoints in the region has been reduced to five from 32,” the senior military official said, adding that cellphone services were also set to resume in the area. He said the restoration of peace in the region – the native agency of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement’s Manzoor Pashteen – has resulted in the disbandment of checkpoints. “Pashto speaking troops have been deployed at the checkpoints for smooth communication with the locals,” he said.
The announcement fulfils two major demands of the PTM, which has been calling for basic rights for the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and highlighting the issues faced by the Pashtuns in general.
The military official said that almost 30 km of the border with Afghanistan has also been fenced up. “Around 11,000 FC officials have been posted at the check-posts. The monitoring of the Pak-Afghan border would continue through the use of radars and latest camera equipment,” he said. The senior military official noted that cross-border threats remained an area of considerable concern to Pakistan and that security forces were fortifying the border to the best of their ability. “399 major operations have been carried out since 2001 in the area,” he stated.
Published in Daily Times, May 5th 2018.
