Govt committed to developing merged districts: CM

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah on Wednesday said that fast track development of newly-merged districts was the priority area of the provincial government.

The chief minister was talking to a delegation of the World Bank headed by Country Director Najay Benhassaine at the Chief Minister’s House here. Caretaker cabinet members including Barrister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel, Syed Masood Shah, Engineer Ahmed Jan, Engineer Aamir Nadeem Durrani, Dr. Najeebullah, Dr. Syed Sarfaraz Ali Shah and officials concerned were also present on the occasion.

The meeting discussed the matters related to timely completion of ongoing development projects being implemented with the assistance of the World Bank, said an official communique.

Prospects of mutual cooperation in the near future, especially development projects for merged districts were also discussed on the occasion. The chief minister said that the World Bank was playing an important role in the development of backward areas. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially merged areas had been affected badly during the war against terrorism. “Militancy is not a problem of this province but the entire country as well as the international community is also faced with this challenge,” he added.

He maintained that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were on the front line in the war against terrorism. That’s why, he said, that this war has badly affected our economy, peace, development and all other sectors of society.

He said that economic development and prosperity was the better and an effective tool to combat militancy and terrorism. He maintained that the provincial government has devised “Human Resource Export Strategy” under which, youth of this province would be imparted with market-based crash courses, thereby enabling them to get job opportunities.