Govt to ensure smooth FATA-KP merger

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-Sub-campus of Hazara University in Batagram ready for inauguration
-Mass scale police recruitment in FATA to be carried out, says KP CM

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan has taken hold of responsibilities related to the merger of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into KP along with its challenges that included removing the sense of deprivation of the locals as well as extending efficient governance structure and social sectors services to facilitate the FATA’s poor as speedily as possible.

This he announced during a meeting with Provincial Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai, Spoke Person Ajmal Wazir, Member of National Assembly (MNA) Iqbal Afridi, and other members of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) at the Civil Secretariat here on Friday.

During the meeting, the mainstreaming of erstwhile tribal areas, good governance, developmental strategy for the whole province, transparency and merit-based decision making were discussed.

CM Mahmood spoke about the overall mainstreaming of erstwhile tribal areas and the government’s planning for rapid developmental activities in order to facilitate the area’s people through efficient services while adding that constitutionally, the new districts have become part of the KP province. “Mainstreaming of the whole region of the erstwhile FATA is only one dimension of the overall reformed design of the mainstreaming and merger of seven new districts and six frontier regions,” he told the attendees of the meeting.

He said that his government would focus on the natural advantages of new districts, using them for the development for these areas so that these districts could stand on their own feet by generating industrialisation and trade activities, besides creating jobs.

The chief minister said that tourism promotion would also be the area of focus in the overall planning of the government. The overall planning would encompass all areas of the new districts where the development and exploration of natural potential would be carried out through federal transfers.

He assured of a uniform governance structure and services in the whole province after the merger and added that there would be mass scale police recruitment in the new districts.

Mahmood further revealed that he would visit all the new districts, including district Khyber, where he would meet the locals, listen to them personally and resolve their problems.

Regarding the problems raised by the MPAs, the CM assured that he would focus on resolving all basic problems and assured that each and every area would get a development share in the overall strategy. He directed the MPAs to monitor the developmental activities in their respective areas.

The CM concluded the meeting on a good note, informing the members that he would be visiting Batagram to inaugurate the sub-campus of Hazara University later this month while the burn centre in Peshawar was ready for inauguration and the project of shelter homes would also be started in the near future.