PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday said that Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the fiscal year 2026–27 would prioritise job opportunities, investment in human development and public services.

He said that the ADP would serve as a comprehensive roadmap for inclusive and sustainable development, anchored in employment generation and equitable access to public services.

The chief minister, while chairing a meeting to review strategic priorities for upcoming ADP, fiscal year 2026–27, said that the ADP should be structured as result-oriented.

“The forthcoming ADP be structured as a results-driven and fiscally disciplined development framework, with clear prioritisation of high-impact sectors,” the chief minister said, in an official statement issued from the chief minister’s secretariat.

CM Afridi says jobs, education, healthcare and public services to be prioritised

Mr Afridi ordered officials concerned inclusion of a province-wide initiative for the establishment of model schools and colleges, alongside the design of a fully funded, merit-based international scholarship programme to enable outstanding students from KP to access leading universities in the world.

Reaffirming alignment with the vision of founder PTI Imran Khan, the chief minister underscored that health and education would remain the government’s top funding priorities, with dedicated and accelerated resource allocation while at the same time stressed upon strategic investment in human capital.

“Human capital is central to unlocking the province’s growth potential,” the statement quoted the chief minister as saying during the meeting.

According to the official statement, the meeting was informed that some 218 high-priority projects were targeted for completion during the next fiscal year and that approximately 80 percent of the ADP allocation would be committed to ongoing schemes to ensure timely delivery, while 20 percent would be allocated to new initiatives.

“In addition, 39 new signature projects have been proposed across key sectors,” the statement read.

Participants of the meeting were informed that a major allocation for the ADP for the fiscal year 2026-27 has been proposed under the ‘Roshan Qabail Package’ for merged districts besides allocations for strategic health sector investments including the establishment of a health city and a tribal medical college.

It read that the ADP incorporated forward-looking education reforms including virtual classrooms, bag-free schools and the integration of artificial intelligence into school curricula.

“It also includes the establishment of a Tribal University and an Integrated Development Package for Upper Chitral,” the meeting was informed.

It read that social protection and inclusion remain integral to the programme, with the expansion of the Panahgah network, scaling up of the Zamung Kor initiative and the establishment of schools for children with special needs.

The meeting was also informed that a self-employment scheme for persons with disabilities and the Khyber Safari Train had also been proposed, the statement read adding that key urban and public safety interventions include the divisional expansion of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, completion of safe cities projects and the establishment of a Cyber Security Operations Centre.

The meeting was attended by chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah, additional chief secretary planning and development Islam Zeb and senior officials.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026