Task Force reviews progress on projects: CM says financial crunch affecting KP’s uplift

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Task Force on merged districts on Monday reviewed progress on various social sector developmental projects and discussed matters related to the capacity building of the police force and initiatives for economic revival.

An official handout said that caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan chaired the meeting. Caretaker Provincial Ministers Aamir Abdullah and Mian Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General Police Akhtar Hayat Khan, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat and other civil and military officials attended the meeting.

The divisional commissioners, regional police officers, deputy commissioners and district police officers attended the meeting via video links. The participants were briefed about the implementation status of the decisions taken in the last meeting of the forum. It was decided in the meeting to upscale the overall capacity of police in merged districts to enable the cops to deal with the prevailing situation. It was agreed to take measures to strengthen the police in all aspects including transport, communication and training.

The authorities were directed to take necessary steps to absorb the remaining Levies/Khassadar personnel into regular police, and expedite new recruitment against the sectioned vacancies in police.

They were directed for required measures for raising Elite Force in these areas and for proper arrangement of their professional training. The forum agreed to the provision of required funds for the capacity building of police in merged areas.

The meeting decided to absorb Malakand Levies into regular police and directed that a committee headed by additional chief secretary Home would come up with recommendations after looking into the legal and technical aspects of the matter.

The meeting decided to withdraw police personnel deputed with unauthorized individuals for security purposes. It was decided to establish a high security prison at provincial level, whereas the concerned quarters were directed to expedite the process of establishing Forensic Science Laboratory and implementation of Safe City Peshawar Project.

A decision was taken to create the required vacancies of district administrations and other line departments for the newly created district South Waziristan (Upper), and the authorities were directed for necessary action.

The meeting decided to take up with Peshawar High Court the issue of shifting of judicial officers and other staff to South Waziristan, North Waziristan and Orakzai districts. The forum also reviewed progress on land settlement projects in merged districts, and the officials concerned were directed to engage the local tribal elders for consultation, and come up with proposals to settle the land disputes leading to law and order in certain areas of the merged districts.

The forum was briefed about the proposed socio-economic development plan for merged districts and it was decided that the Steering Committee constituted for the merged districts would give final touches to the plan and present the same for formal approval.

The forum stressed the need for renewal of contracts of eight outsourced hospitals under Public Private Partnership in the merged districts so that quality healthcare services are ensured to the local people.

The forum was told that an education plan had been devised for the promotion of the education sector in merged areas which would be presented in the next meeting of the forum for approval.

The chief minister said that measures were required to bring the hitherto underdeveloped areas on a par with other developed parts of the province.

He added that resources would be provided for maintaining law and order in the merged areas. Azam Khan maintained that the province was dependent on federal transfers, but due to non-payment of its shares in various heads by the federal government, the province was facing a financial crunch affecting the overall development process.

“The caretaker provincial government, since the very first day of its inception, has been taking up the issue with Centre and will continue to do so in the coming days so that the province could be steered out of the financial crunch,” he concluded.