- Abbasi announces to visit FATA soon, says he wants equal status for tribal region
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday appointed five new special assistants but their portfolios would be announced later, a PM Office statement said.
The special assistants include Barrister Zafarullah, Miftah Ismail, Dr Asif Kirmani, Dr Mussadiq Malik and Kh Zaheer Ahmad. The prime minister now has a 54-member team to help in day-to-day tasks of running the government.
The team comprises 28 federal ministers; including Sartaj Aziz as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission with status of the federal minister, 16 ministers of state, five advisers and an equal number of the special assistants.
Federal Minister for Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs Muhammad Barjees Tahir called on Prime Minister Abbasi and briefed him on matters pertaining to the ministry and provided an overview of the development outlay for the regions, under his ministry.
Senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) called on Prime Minister Abbasi at the PM Office and congratulated him on assuming the office of the chief executive of Pakistan. They said that terrorism has adversely affected the rate of development and severely damaged infrastructure in their respective agencies.
Prime Minister Abbasi said that change in FATA was a must and status quo has to end. “Change is the government’s priority and we want to bring FATA at par with other federating units,” he said, adding that the equal treatment of FATA residents in all social sectors shall be ensured.
“Our government has already taken the initiative and is prioritizing legal reforms along with constructive change in the affairs of FATA in consultation with all stakeholders,” he said and assured that additional resources shall be allocated to FATA. He also confirmed that he would visit FATA soon.
Hidayatullah, Momin Afridi, Aurangzeb Khan, Hilalur Rehman, Sajjad Hussain Turi, Muhammad Saleh Shah, Taj Muhammad Afridi and Malik Najam ul Hassan were included in the delegation.
Adviser Amir Muqam also called on Abbasi and discussed with him matters pertaining to party affairs and development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime minister appreciated his role for the party and the government as well.
On the other hand, National Assembly members Ch Muhammad Tufail and Ghulam Muhammad Lal called on Prime Minister Abbasi separately at the PM Office. Matters pertaining to development projects in their respective constituencies were discussed during the meetings.