PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will recruit 24,000 policemen in the recently merged tribal districts.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Ajmal Wazir, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said that Rs100 billion, which constituted three per cent of the total National Finance Commission award, for the erstwhile Fata would be released.

He said that Imran Khan was the first prime minister, who visited the Ghulam Khan border in North Waziristan tribal district to get briefing on security situation and know problems faced by the dwellers of the area.

Mr Wazir said that that crime ratio declined due to the operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former Fata.

He said that administrative vacuum was created after the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhgwa. However, he said that a viable strategic plan was devised to fill the gap at the earliest.

He said that prime minister had promised to release the funds under NFC award to the federating units and merged tribal districts to resolve the long awaited problems of the hitherto neglected areas.

Mr Wazir said that computer laboratories would be established at educational institutions in tribal districts in addition to promotion of tourism as those were top priorities of the provincial government.

He said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was heading the committee constituted for reforms in the erstwhile Fata. He added that the committee would hold talks with the quarters concerned for maintaining peaceful atmosphere in the tribal districts.

Mr Wazir said that the same committee would also review the measures taken by local committees in tribal districts. He added that jirga system would be strengthened in tribal districts for ensuring speedy disposal of justice.

He said that residents of all the tribal districts would be provided with free medical treatment through health cards system as it was one of their main demands. He said that government had set its priorities to bring the under developed areas at par with the developed ones to remove sense of derivation among the people.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2018