Islamabad: After a decade-long effort for restoration of peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s militancy-hit Malakand division, Pakistan Army has transferred administrative authority to the civil administration.
Army initiated gradual transfer of power to the government on Tuesday in Lower and Upper Dir districts at a ceremony held at the Dir Scouts Fort in Balambat.
“This day is of utmost importance in the country’s history as today the army officials are handing over administration to civil authorities,” said General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malakand Division Major General Ali Amir Awan who was the chief guest of the event.
“Ten years back, in 2008, the terrorists challenged the writ of state, in the name of Islam and began bombarding hospitals and schools in Malakand division,” GOC Awan said. Highlighting the cooperation of residents of Dir alongside Army in elimination of militancy, he said: “The passion and patriotism of the people of Dir was matchless and a role model for the people of the rest of the country.”
Malakand Commissioner Syed Zaheer ul Islam, regional police officer Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, Dir Task Force Commandant Colonel Shehzad Amir, deputy commissioners of Lower and Upper Dir, DPOs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Finance Minister Muzafar Said, Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Sahibzada Tariqullah, region’s elders and other civil and military officers attended the ceremony.
A total of 470 soldiers, including officers, lost their lives during the military operation against the anti-state elements while 3,500 terrorists were killed and eventually militants were rooted out and the government writ has been restored, GOC informed. Around 300 schools have also been rehabilitated in Malakand division while 32 new schools were also built.
After the restoration of peace, all check-posts in Lower and Upper Dir were being handed over to police and security forces would remain present in border areas, he said. However, he said, the security forces would fully cooperate with the civil administration in maintaining peace and order.
The transfer of administration would be extended to other districts including Malakand, Swat, Buner, Shangla and Chitral.
“The transfer of power to civilian government signals the beginning of normalisation in troubled areas of Pakistan” veteran political analyst Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi told Gulf News. “This is a positive development, which demonstrates that the army has come to the conclusion that civil administration can now manage the region on its own. It also gives a positive message that Pakistan government and army is confident that the situation in northern region is under control.”
Talking to Gulf News, former Pakistani Ambassador and Executive Director of Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) Ali Sarwar Naqvi, said: “Handing over Dir administration to civilian authorities is the culmination of the process of eliminating terrorists and militants from the region. It is only appropriate that the government takes control of the responsibilities now that the people of Dir are ready to resume normal and peaceful life.”
Pakistan Army continues to fight terrorism since 2001 with world’s largest counterterrorism deployment of over 202,000 soldiers at present. The army has carried out significant operations in the seven tribal agencies — Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, Mohmand, Bajaur, North Waziristan and South, as well as the Malakand Division, which includes Dir and Swat.
