Islamabad, Dec 21: The Bush Administration had asked the Musharraf regime to complete the capacity-building of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) secretariat and FATA Development Authority by May 2008 in order to qualify for financial assistance out of the 785 million dollars aid package approved by US Congress.

According to sources, the Pakistan Government has also been asked to identify projects in the FATA in health, education, water supply, sanitation and rural development, agriculture, livestock, forest, fisheries, irrigation, water management, power and infrastructure sectors.

Before fulfilment of these conditions, it would be difficult for the US to release funds through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Dawn quoted sources, as saying.

The USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives is launching a new programme in Fata that aims at building confidence between the government and tribal communities. (ANI)