PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to pay proper attention to tribal districts’ development to end the sense of deprivation prevailing in the region.

While talking to the KP governor, chief minister and members of his cabinet on the lawns of Governor House, the prime minister reminded them that the main objective behind the merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was to provide facilities to the residents of those areas.

The premier, who was scheduled to arrive at Peshawar on Saturday, came here late Friday night after his plane could not land at Nur Khan Airbase due to Islamabad’s inclement weather, official sources said.

The prime minister said it was his government’s major success to take forward the merger process, as the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government allocated record funds for the development of the tribal districts which had been facing government neglect in the past.

He directed the provincial administration to create job opportunities for the youth of the merged districts as it was among the top priorities of the PTI government. He also stressed upon creating business opportunities in these areas to generate employment opportunities along with socioeconomic development.

CM raises issue of net hydel profit proceeds under AGN Kazi committee formula

KP Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, members of the provincial cabinet and senior members of administrative machinery were present, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

Mr Khan observed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had showed its willingness to invest in Pakistan’s tourism industry. He asked the provincial government to pay special attention to fully explore the potential of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the tourism sector.

As the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had reposed confidence in his party twice, it had become their responsibility to fully serve the masses, the prime minister told the cabinet members.

A member of the provincial cabinet told Dawn that the premier mostly talked about the development of the merged districts and related issues. He claimed that PM Khan had appreciated the chief minister and the provincial cabinet members for visiting the merged districts on several occasions.

The minister claimed that the premier talked about the development of the tribal districts in detail and directed the provincial cabinet to focus on the region’s uplift to end the sense of deprivation prevailing in the merged districts.

AGN Kazi formula

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra took up with Prime Minister Khan the issue of payment of Net Hydel Profit (NHP) proceeds to the province under the AGN Kazi committee formula, the cabinet member told Dawn.

The Kazi committee, headed by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi, was formed in July 1985 to frame a formula for the calculation of the NHP to the provinces under Article 161(2) of the Constitution.

The cabinet member said that the chief minister asked the premier to implement the AGN Kazi formula, as the decision would not only have a huge impact on the development of the province but would also generate a massive goodwill for the ruling PTI in the province.

They also requested PM Khan to convene a meeting on the issue next week so that a team of the provincial government could explain its position in detail to all stakeholders.

About a possible reshuffle in the cabinet, the minister said that they expected a discussion on the subject but it did not come up during the meeting. He said the governor and the chief minister did call on the premier but he was not sure if they discussed cabinet reshuffle or not.

Reforms

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 42nd annual winter meeting of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) and Khyber Medical College Alumni Association (KMCAA), PM Khan expressed his resolve to eliminate the status quo resisting the reforms his government wanted to introduce in different sectors.

He said the government was facing resistance and pressure from the old and corrupt mafia that had been taking advantage of the ailing administrative system, but the PTI government will not budge from its reforms at any cost.

Mr Khan told the gathering that such resistance was not limited to the health and education sectors. Such elements were also in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), among the traders and those doing business through smuggled goods, he said.

However, the PM did not elaborate if he was referring to his latest announcement regarding changes to the NAB ordinance to save traders and businessmen from the process of accountability.

The PM said whenever the government wanted to bring about reforms and changes to the old system, they created wrong impressions among the masses. But he reminded the people that they should not worry as they would win the war against the ‘corrupt mafia’ ultimately.

Citing the prevalent rustic administrative system and bureaucratic hurdles, Mr Khan said that bringing about a ‘change would be a difficult task’, but those nations had succeeded that faced it and referred to successful reforms introduced in Malaysia and Turkey by their political leadership.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2019