PM Imran wants local govt polls in ex-FATA areas

Wants LG law to be amended to allow direct election of Tehsil Nazims

PESHAWAR: In line with his plans to revamp the local government law in Punjab, the premier on Friday directed that the local government law in K-P must also be amended to allow for direct elections of Tehsil Nazims, while local body elections must be held in the erstwhile Fata areas at the same time as settled areas.

This was directed as Prime Minister Imran Khan, on his maiden visit to the provincial capital after taking over as PM, chaired a meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) cabinet in Peshawar on Friday evening. The meeting was attended by K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Governor Shah Farman

During the meeting, a host of provincial issues came up for discussion.

At the top were holding elections in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). He asked the governor to implement reforms in the tribal district.



Imran also took the provincial cabinet into confidence about the local government system and urged the provincial ministers to bring make the necessary amendments to the local government system to effect reforms and make the local government structure more people-friendly.

The premier also issued directions for opening the historic Bala Hisar Fort to the public and to attract tourists. The fort is currently being used by the Frontier Corps as its headquarters. In this regard, he directed Federal Defense Minister Pervez Khattak to make the necessary arrangements to shift the Frontier Corps headquarters to a suitable alternative location.

Moreover, he directed that just as the governor house in Lahore, the governor house in Peshawar must be opened up to the public on Sundays.

The prime minister was also briefed about the 100-day plan for the province and progress on development projects.

In this regards, Imran directed the provincial government to ensure that projects such as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Swat Motorway project are completed on time and in a transparent manner.



He further directed that hospital boards in the health sector should be constituted at the earliest and to complete administrative reforms in the province.

The provincial government was urged to support the Pakistan Cleanliness Drive and to take strict action against all illegal encroachment.

The premier assured all possible cooperation from the federal government to the province.

FATA taskforce
The premier also chaired a meeting of the Fata Task Force during his visit to Peshawar.
During the meeting, he called for speedy work on merging districts from the erstwhile tribal areas into the province in terms of administrative, legal, local bodies and development.
Noting that residents of Fata had equal rights to other citizens of the country, he said all the institutions must work in unison to ensure the socio-economic welfare in the tribal districts.

Governor House doors to open
Following directions from PM Imran, K-P Governor Farman announced that the Governor House will open to the students of local girls colleges from 10am to 2pm on Sunday in the first phase of the plan.
The relevant colleges, Farman said, have also been informed of the move while the facility will be opened for families in subsequent phases.