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Force ‘last option’ against militants, says NWFP CM

* Hoti says law and order biggest challenge to province

By Zakir Hassnain

PESHAWAR: Authorities should only use force as a last resort against militants near the Afghan border, newly elected NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on Tuesday.

Addressing the provincial assembly after being confirmed for the chief minister slot by Speaker Karamatullah Chagharmati, he said the use of force in the past made it harder to bring peace to the province. He said his government would, instead, promote dialogue at all levels. “We’ll make every effort to restore peace in the province. We’ll form traditional jirgas for peace,” he said.

Law and order: The chief minister said that he would announce a policy statement after receiving the vote of confidence from the House. However, he said law and order was the biggest challenge to the NWFP, adding that a large number of people had been killed in terrorist activities and there was a lot of destruction in the province. Hoti also said that provincial autonomy, unemployment, inflation, absence of foreign and local investment and lack of industries were some of the challenges facing his government.

Urging the international community to understand that people in the region were not terrorists, Hoti said, “We want peace. We want education. We don’t want suicide jackets and guns.”

The Awami National Party (ANP)’s Hoti was elected as NWFP chief minister unopposed on Monday. On Tuesday, Speaker Karamatullah Chagharmati told the House that six nomination papers had been submitted for Hoti and no candidates had been nominated in opposition.

A total of 113 members of the NWFP Assembly stood in favour of Hoti’s candidacy when the speaker sought the opinion of the House on it. Later, the newly elected chief minister thanked the lawmakers. All the parliamentary leaders congratulated the youngest chief minister in the province’s history — at 37-years-old — and assured him their full co-operation.

Also on Tuesday, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani administered the oath of office to Hoti at Governor’s House amid tight security. Top military and civil bureaucracy, outgoing provincial caretaker ministers, federal ministers, MPAs and a large number of ANP and Pakistan People’s Party activists attended the ceremony, which started at 4.20pm.

ANP activists shouted slogans of “Fakhar-e-Afghan Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan” and Long live Pakhtunkhwa” shortly after the chief minister took oath.

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