PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday complained that the promises made by authorities after the 2018 Fata-KP merger for the tribal region’s development had yet to be fulfilled.

They regretted that though the mainstreaming of tribal districts was of strategic importance, the “burden to carry out this critical function of their development” had been left to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The seminar was held by the finance department here to “address the financing requirements for the development of tribal districts to build a consensus among those willing to take forward the needs of the province,” according to an official statement.

The event brought together key government stakeholders, politicians, and cabinet members for a dialogue on the under-financing issue of tribal districts and its possible short-term and long-term solutions.

Provincial finance secretary Mohammad Ayaz emphasized the need for discourse on pursuing an equitable financial share for merged districts in the National Financial Commission Award post-merger and ensuring that it is compliant with the Constitution of Pakistan.

Finance dept holds seminar on ex-Fata financial needs

He highlighted the federal government’s development promise for tribal districts and said it was a significant step in the right direction but fund releases under the Accelerated Implementation Programme had been dwindling over time.

Dr. Musharraf Rasool Cyan, a member of the KP NFC, discussed the often-overlooked implication of the 2018 Constitutional Amendment, which grants tribal districts with equitable fiscal rights to public resources under the NFC, the body responsible for the distribution of public revenue in the country.

He said since the Fata-KP merger, not only the promised sum of Rs100 billion was not provided but also the releases against budgets fell well short of what was allocated, depriving residents of the region of their constitutional right.

“For merged districts, under the AIP, a sum of Rs30 billion was allocated this year. Of it, only Rs3 billion has been released as the financial year ends,” he said.

Dr. Cyan said the human development indicators of merged districts were comparable to Balochistan’s, but as of 2018, according to his research, Balochistan was receiving more than twice the funds per capita for solving the same problems of deprivation in the merged region.

Himayatullah Khan, advisor to the chief minister on finance stressed the need for pursuing the issue of ex-Fata’s development at all available forums.

He said improved collaboration among political leadership, bureaucratic system, academia and media was required to build public opinion and fulfil the promises made to people of tribal districts at the time of their region’s merger with KP.

“Tribal districts are a critical region and face a critical time. The surest means of stabilisation in the region is through the fulfillment of the government’s promise of not just developing these areas but developing them at an accelerated pace as well,” he said.

The other speakers, including former senator Farhatullah Babar, Qaumi Watan Party provincial head Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, provincial excise and taxation minister Manzoor Afridi and local government minister Sanwal Nazir, pledged to highlight the issue irrespective of their political affiliations.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2023