| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| '14,000 tribals to join Pakistain Army' |
| 2014-10-07 |
| [DAWN] The military chief on Monday announced an uplift scheme for the residents of the volatile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), promising induction in army ranks as well as education and employment opportunities. An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement issued today quoted the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif as saying that the policy titled 'Fata Youth Package' will induct into the army 14,000 men from the region over the course of next five years. The total strength of the military's active troops is over 500,000. According to the ISPR, the package also entails free education to 1,500 Fata children through army public schools and colleges in all cantonments, with reserved seats for Fata students in military cadet colleges on a yearly basis. The army will also work to enhance technical skills among the Fata youth through technical training institutes, adding that arrangements are already being worked upon for their overseas employment, the statement said. The troubled mountainous area has been a hideout for years for Death Eaters of all stripes -- including al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain as well as imported muscle. |
| Posted by:Fred |