Tribal elders from the newly merged districts on Thursday demanded of the federal government that development funds of the merged districts including those of the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP) should be released without any delay so that long-lasting issues and deprivations of the tribal districts could be addressed.
They said that merger of erstwhile Fata into KhyberPakhtunkhwa was no doubt a good step, but the newly merged districts were still suffering from multiple challenges needing special attention of both the federal and provincial governments. They were talking to the Caretaker Chief Minister K-P, Muhammad Azam Khan, at the CM House. In a bid to resolve the public issues of the people of newly merged districts, the CM held the third round of weekly sessions here on Thursday.
A large number of people of the merged districts hailing from different walks of life attended the session and apprised the chief minister of the issues faced by them. The majority of those issues were related to education, health, road infrastructure and other sectors of public service delivery. Senior Member Board of Revenue, administrative secretaries of provincial departments and other relevant officials were also present on the occasion. The chief minister listened to their issues attentively and directed the quarters concerned for necessary steps to resolve those issues on priority.
The elders of merged districts lauded the initiative of the caretaker chief minister to hold weekly session with the people of merged districts, and said that this initiative will prove to be helpful in resolving the long-standing problems of the tribal people. The chief minister said that such weekly sessions will continue to be held in future as well adding that progress was underway to resolve the issues put forward by the people of merged districts in the first two rounds of the sessions. The CM further said that the caretaker provincial government was going all out to get the constitutional rights of merged districts, adding that the issues regarding nonpayment of funds for NMDs has been taken up with the federal government.
“People of the merged districts have suffered a lot for the last four decades and the caretaker provincial government was not only well aware of this but also making every possible effort to resolve their issues,” he said, assuring that all available resources would be utilized to complete the ongoing development projects in the newly merged districts. On Monday, addressing the youth of the merged districts at a ceremony the chief minister emphasized the need for immediate attention and support to merged districts. He expressed concern over the delayed allocation of funds to the province after the merger.
He stressed that the tribal districts, with a population of five million, deserve their rightful share of funds for development. He said that the provincial government persistently pursued this matter with the federal government. “I will do everything possible for the legitimate rights of the merged districts,” he said. He emphasized that the provision of funds is crucial for the successful implementation of developmental initiatives.
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