KHYBER: Chairman of the newly-created Area Representative and Development Council (ARDC) and former provincial governor Engineer Shaukatullah on Thursday said that the basic purpose of the council’s creation was to bring the 12 designated districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into the mainstream of national development while operating under the direct control of the federal cabinet.
Addressing the first ARDC meeting at Jirga Hall in Landi Kotal here, the council chairman said that the uplift body would facilitate the transparent spending and utilisation of Rs160 billion allocated by the federal government in the fields of education, health, provision of jobs and employment and communication in the designated districts.
He said the council had set its priorities for the regional development and early resolution of problems faced by the people of these districts with a focus on continuous monitoring of the development schemes to ensure their timely completion.
Vice chairman of the council Malik Khan Mar Jan stressed the need for regional harmony while resolving all the thorny issues pertaining to land disputes and intra-tribal and intra-family differences through negotiations and jirgas.
First council meeting held in Landi Kotal
He said that the ARDC would move forward while adhering to the state policy of establishing lasting peace, strengthening the rule of law and sustainable development.
Deputy commissioner Shahid Ali and district police officer Waqar Ahmad assured participants of their full cooperation for the restoration of peace and timely completion of development projects.
Meanwhile, president of the political alliance Murad Hussain Afridi said it was extremely lamentable and highly condemnable that none of the representatives from any of the mainstream political parties was invited to the first meeting of ARDC.
In a statement, he said it was extremely important to take all stakeholders into confidence when important regional matters were discussed at such forums.
“Ignoring the local political leadership by the district administration reflects the inner fear of the district administration to face the truth and facts which is tantamount to a joke with the residents of the tribal districts,” he said.
Some participants told Dawn that the ARDC members denied them the opportunity to pose questions about the “actual authority” of the council.
They said that they also raised questions over the selection of people invited to the meeting and insisted that ignoring the civil society in general and the real representatives of the local people could prove detrimental for the working of the ARDC.
Two council members said they too had no prior information about the convening and actual purpose of the Landi Kotal meeting.
They said they were also not taken into confidence about the list of invitees as it was entirely prepared by the district administration.
Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026
