PESHAWAR, June 27: The US government will provide technical assistance for establishment of FM Radio stations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and improvement in their managerial, operational and production capabilities under an agreement signed here at the Chief Minster's House on Monday.

In this regard, Acting US Consul General Ms Constance C. Arvis and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director Information Shoaibuddin Khan signed the letter of agreement in the presence of the chief minister, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Secretary Information Azmat Haneef.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hoti said that his government was well aware of the importance and outreach of radio broadcast and that was why they had allocated funds in annual development programme for establishment of as many as 24 FM Radio stations throughout the province, says a handout.

He said that these radio stations would be run with the involvement of local communities so as to bring their problems to light. The chief minister said that were fully aware of the genuine needs of the people at grass-roots level and committed to solution of their problems.

The provincial government, he said, had also planned the establishment of its own television station, for the feasibility study was under way.

The chief minister said that the provincial government had evolved a communication strategy to reach the people and the establishment of FM Radio stations and the TV channel was part of it.

He said that radio was an effective medium among the mass communication channels through which a large portion of population could easily be accessed. Ms Arvis assured the chief minister that the US government would fully support the development of local media in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.