ISLAMABAD: Marking his first trip to the country’s North Waziristan tribal region since assuming office in August this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Miran Shah on Monday where the army has managed to reestablish order following successful operations to rid the area of militants.
PM Khan was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the governor and Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhthunkhwa province, and key federal and provincial ministers for the trip to the central part of North Waziristan, where a local commander briefed the premier on the security situation, ongoing stability operations, socioeconomic projects, and rehabilitation of displaced people, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the military’s spokesperson, tweeted on Monday. He also visited the Ghulam Khan terminal to inspect the border fencing, where he addressed a group of elders from the North and South Waziristan regions.
The prime minister praised the country’s security forces for driving the militants out of the region which was once considered as the hub of the Pakistani Taliban and foreign militants. According to a statement released by the military’s media wing, Khan said: “No other country or their armed forces have done what Pakistan and its armed forces have done in the war against terrorism.” 
He added that “we have fought an imposed war inside our country at a very heavy cost and loss to our socio-economic fiber.” 
“We shall not fight any such war again inside Pakistan,” he pledged. “We are for peace beyond borders, including in Afghanistan. We shall play our role in the Afghan peace process along with other stakeholders as peace in Afghanistan is critical for achieving peace in Pakistan,” he added. Khan also announced several welfare packages for the newly-established districts of the tribal region.