The Pakistan army has said that work on a 900km portion of fence along the Pak-Afghan border has been completed.
Briefing journalists at Ghulam Khan, a border village in North Waziristan tribal district, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general Major General Asif Ghafoor said that work on a 1,200km section – the most sensitive portion out of the total 2,600km border with the war-torn country – had commenced last year.
He said the project would cost about Rs70bn, which included the cost of gadgets and surveillance equipment.
Ghafoor said the fence had helped check the movement of terrorists from across the border, and the situation would further improve after the completion of the project next year.
The visit of media persons on Monday was a first in the country’s history, as the area had been considered off-limits to civilians and even the security forces.
The military spokesman said that about 1,200km of the total 2,600km border with Afghanistan was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the rest in Baluchistan.
In reply to a question about the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan had been playing a key role.
Earlier, 11th Corps Commander Lieutenant General Shaheen and his team separately arranged a briefing for the media persons at the Corps Headquarters, Peshawar.
He said that after the end of the war in the area, troops are now in the process of consolidation while steps are being taken to resettle about 4,000 families, who had fled to Afghanistan about four decades ago.
Shaheen said that 95% of the work on resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) had already been accomplished.
Media persons were also taken to Miramshah, the district headquarters of North Waziristan, where they interacted with the local populace.
Students, traders and common citizens, while interacting with the media persons, welcomed the role of the Pakistan army in restoring peace.
However, some of them complained that they had not been given compensation by the civil administration for the losses incurred during the decade-long drive against militancy.
On the occasion, head of the Petroleum Dealers Association Raqib Gull said that the local administration had provided estimates of the losses caused to petrol pumps in the area.
He said that around 69 petrol pumps had been damaged, and they demanded a financial compensation of Rs560mn.
ISPR chief Ghafoor said that steps are being taken to sort out their genuine demands, besides promptly undertaking work on development schemes.
About the longstanding demand of the local people, he said mobile phone service in the area would be launched in March.