Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan has said that special efforts are needed to bring the newly merged tribal districts of the province on a par with the rest of the country.
He indicated that the matter concerning the allocation of the tribal districts’ share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, as well as other dues owed to the province, has been brought to the attention of the prime minister. It is expected that a resolution to this issue will be reached in the near future.
The chief minister announced that to resolve the public issues of the newly merged districts, he will reserve every Thursday for meeting with tribal people and to listen to their issues personally.
In this regard, the first session of meetings was held on Thursday at the Chief Minister House Peshawar in which a delegation of tribal elders from different merged districts apprised the chief minister of their issues related to health, education, communications, and other service delivery sectors. They also submitted written applications to him.
The CM on this occasion issued directives to departments concerned for immediate resolution of public issues in these districts and warned that no negligence will be tolerated in this regard.
The tribal elders expressed their gratitude for the decision and expressed optimism that it would bring about a swift resolution to their problems.
They lamented that in the past, tribal districts had been consistently overlooked and neglected, resulting in the tribal belt being one of the most underdeveloped regions in the country, where basic necessities such as education, healthcare, and job opportunities were lacking.
The delegates said that this initiative of the chief minister is a proof of his interest and seriousness in solving the problems of the tribal people.
While talking to the delegation, the chief minister said that people of the merged districts have rendered numerous sacrifices during the last four decades, adding that the caretaker government is aware of public issues of the tribal people and steps would be taken to resolve them on priority.
Azam Khan said that every step would be taken to develop the education and health sectors and improve the road network in the region by allocating funds for the purpose.
The CM has acknowledged the longstanding issues faced by the people of the merged districts and has pledged to take swift action to address them. To this end, priority measures will be put in place, and special meetings will be convened with relevant departments to ensure timely resolution of these issues. Additionally, special attention will be given to completing ongoing development projects within their designated timeframes.
The CM said that he has taken up the matter with the PM to get the share of the merged districts in NFC and will raise this matter again with the federal government. The people of the merged districts should get their constitutional and legal rights at all cost.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2023.
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