ISLAMABAD, June 8: No foreign forces will be allowed to operate in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas against Al Qaeda elements or criminals, a meeting presided over by President Pervez Musharraf decided on Thursday.

“Only our own forces will ensure security in North and South Waziristan agencies and other Fata areas. As a sovereign country, Pakistan cannot allow any foreign troops to operate on its soil,” Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said.

Talking to Dawn after the meeting which was also attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Mr Sherpao said the law and order situation in Fata was gradually improving.

One of the major issues, the minister said, was the sense of deprivation that often led to criminal activities in Fata.

The government, he said, was taking all possible administrative and security measures to restore normalcy there with the help of important political and religious leaders.

The minister said the process to set up a ‘grand jirga’ comprising notables from each agency and religious leaders to ensure peace and tranquillity in the region had started and it was expected to be completed soon.

He said that adequate foreign and local funds were being spent in tribal areas to complete various development projects, especially those related to education and health.

Replying to a question, he said Pakistan was cooperating with US and Afgan officials to ensure peace and security in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan itself had been a victim of terrorism and, therefore, there was no question of supporting Taliban against anyone.

The meeting, he said, expressed satisfaction over various measures being taken to improve the law and order situation in Fata.

It reviewed the law and order situation with special reference to various administrative reforms and development programme in the tribal areas, he added.

During the meeting, the president expressed his strong commitment to socio-economic progress of the people of Fata through an effective system of governance and fast-paced provision of economic opportunities.

He was of the view that increasing economic activities at the grassroots level would remove poverty and bring about prosperity. A sustained focus on socio-economic wellbeing of local people and better education and health facilities would improve the quality of life, he said.

NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai briefed the meeting on the situation in Fata.

Gen Musharraf expressed the hope that increased financial assistance would lead to visible changes and usher in an era of development in the tribal areas. He said that an elaborate road network, hospitals and schools would bring the tribal areas into the mainstream of development.

The prime minister said the government had allocated resources in the budget for development of the tribal areas. He said the huge allocation would help alleviate poverty and set the pace for fast development.

NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Fata Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada also attended the meeting.