PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah on Thursday praised communities in Bajaur and Dir districts for showing strong support for peace efforts by participating in aman jirgas and offering active cooperation to law-enforcement agencies.

He said this while chairing a meeting called to review the Provincial Action Plan against terrorism, according to a statement.

Mr Shah said that the situation in Bajaur and Dir districts was brought under control through strong community backing, thereby avoiding collateral damage.

He, however, pointed out that there were challenges in a few southern and merged tribal districts and they must be addressed through stronger administrative and publictrust-building measures.

The chief secretary also stressed the need for a `whole-of-system approach` for effective PAP implementation.He said that terrorism could be addressed by law-enforcement agencies alone.

Mr Shah said that the civil society and institutions should also support the national cause, especially in eliminating the terrorists`support structures.

He directed all departments and field formations to identify and neutralise such support systems without delay.

The chief secretary said that the strengthening of the police force and the establishment of effective security mechanisms over the last year had significantly enhanced the province`s ability to respond to security threats.

`With the effective implementation of PAP, we are confident that peace and stability will be restored across the province,` he said.

Mr Shah emphasised that maintaining law and order remained the top priority of the provincial government.

`Significant resources and public funds have been allocated to strengthen police, enhance safe city initiatives and improve security infra-structure,` he said.

The chief secretary also directed relevant institutions to expedite the execution of development projects in vulnerable areas, saying that community-driven development is vital for sustaining peace.

He highlighted the urgent need to improve road infrastructure to ensure functional trade routes and called for greater investment in youth skill development and employment generation.

The meeting was attended by additional chief secretary (home) Mohammad Abid Majeed, senior member of the Board of Revenue Mohammad Javed Marwat, administrative secretaries, police officials, representatives of lawenforcement agencies, Anti-Narcotics Force and other provincial and federal institutions.

Commissioners, regional police officers, deputy commissioners and district police officers also joined it via video link.

The meeting reviewed the progress on PAP implementation by provincial departments, divisional and district administrations, LEAs and federal institutions. The ACS (home) gave a briefing on it. There followed in-depth discussions on challenges, gaps and practical suggestions for improving the PAP`s execution.