PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The United States has pledged $3.5 million to help Pakistan stem the tide of Talibanisation and its spillover into the settled districts of the NWFP.
Bulk of that promised money what a western source said would be spent on purchase of non-lethal equipment, while a portion of the amount would be spent on construction, reconstruction and repair of paramilitary posts along North and South Waziristan’s borders with settled districts of the NWFP.
The pledge was made through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between US Ambassador in Islamabad, Ryan C Crocker and Commandant Frontier Constabulary, Malik Naveed Khan.
The United States has given assistance to Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps deployed in the tribal region to deal with rising militancy and cross border infiltration into Afghanistan.
But this is the first time that the Frontier Constabulary, a civil armed force, operating essentially as a buffer paramilitary force between the tribal region and the settled districts of the NWFP, has become the recipient of US largess.
An official said the US Narcotic Affairs Section (NAS) would foot the bill but the amount so available would be spent entirely on beefing up security along the NWFP’s border with North and South Waziristan, stretching from Dara Zinda in the north to Daryoba in the south with Balochistan –- a stretch of 238 km.
Part of the total amount, $1 million would be spent on construction of new posts and repair and reconstruction of the existing run-down posts along the tribal borders, while the remaining $2.5 million would be spent on the purchase of vehicles, bullet proof vests, night vision devices and electronic jamming devices.
Established in 1913, the Samana Scouts –- the FC’s original name — was mandated to protect settled districts from what was then perceived as the wild tribal regions straddling the Afghan borders. Over the years, however, the federal government came to increasingly rely on the paramilitary force to assist police in maintaining peace in Sindh, Balochistan, Northern Areas and guarding foreign missions in Islamabad.
This, official said, had had a negative impact on NWFP’s security along its borders with the tribal region.
Of the total 403 platoons, 237 platoons are presently stationed in Sindh, Balochistan, the Northern Areas and Islamabad.
Officials said that it was after a spate of incidents in Tank, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan involving militants operating in the North and South Waziristan that President Musharraf in a high level meeting in May ordered the Frontier Constabulary platoons be returned to the region by June, 2007.
Commandant FC, Malik Naveed Khan said that 44 platoons had been deployed in the existing 33 posts while 16 new posts were being established to strengthen security along the NWFP’s borders with North and South Waziristan tribal regions. “It is a daunting task but we are determined to do that”, he said.
Mr Khan said better means of communication and transportation would enable his force to do vigorous and effective patrolling, presently being done mostly on foot. “They move up and down and down and up” on the mountains, he said, quoting Rudyard Kipling, the Indian-born British author.
He said that he was equipping his force with better weaponry and equipment and giving them better training to meet the new challenges. Already, 200 FC scouts have been sent to Karachi for anti-terrorist training. The commandant said he was working on a plan to block 28 passes or unfrequented routes from North and South Waziristan into the settled districts of the NWFP. Of that, six had already been blocked, he added.
“I think it has paid off. The situation has already improved in Tank, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan. But it is not a one-off thing. What we need is perseverance. FC needs to be reverted back to its traditional duty of a buffer force”, he said.
