By KUNA
Islamabad : The two US envoys Wednesday visited Pakistans volatile tribal region along Afghan border in an effort to boost security and development of the impoverished region, once known as a safe heaven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Johan Negroponte, US Deputy Secretary of State, and Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, arrived here on Tuesday morning on a two-day unannounced visit to hold talks with the new Pakistani government.
The visit to tribal region of two US envoys come a day after leader of the ruling alliance, Nawaz Sharif, insisted on reviewing previous governments counter-terrorism policy.
The envoys held meeting with a Jirga in Landi Kottal town of Khuber tribal agency, tribal sources told KUNA.
They said matters related to the possible presence of foreign elements in the area, local Taliban militants, border security and economic development and uplift of the largely ignored Federal Administrated Tribal Area (FATA), an area comprising seven tribal agencies, came under discussion.
The Jirga members emphasized on the need to change western worlds perception about the tribal population, they said, adding that they made it clear to the envoys that not all tribesmen are militants and engaged in terrorist activities.
It may be mentioned here that the US is helping establish Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in FATA for economic development and uplift of the area and legislation in this regard has been introduced in the Senate.
The two envoys were also scheduled to meet leadership of Awami National Party (ANP), which has formed government in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), in the provincial Peshawar capital.