KP ministers undertaking visits to ex-Fata after merger

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers have been undertaking visits to the newly merged tribal districts after the merger of Fata with the province.

The first provincial minister to do so was Dr Amjad Ali, whose portfolio is mines and mineral development. He visited the Mohmand tribal district, formerly known as Mohmand Agency, where high quality marble mines are located. Dr Amjad Ali, who was re-elected from Swat district on the ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the July 2018 general election, also met in Peshawar a delegation from Mohmand tribal district to discuss the issues concerning the mineral deposits there. The minister said legislation was being done to give legal cover for carrying out mining work in Mohmand and other tribal districts.

It may be added that Dr Amjad Ali is a homoeopath. On Saturday, provincial Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan paid a visit to North Waziristan tribal district and addressed a tribal jirga and health department employees at the main hospital in Miranshah. He told them that the PTI was taking steps to undertake development work in the erstwhile Fata under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Dr Hisham Inamullah, who is a dental surgeon, was elected MPA for the first time in July 2018 on the PTI ticket from Lakki Marwat district. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai had accompanied Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Governor Shah Farman, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi on a one-day visit to North Waziristan recently. For all of them, it was their first visit to ex-Fata after the installation of the PTI government in August. Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last week of May this year. Several line departments in the ex-Fata have already been merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa departments. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers and officials have been slow to undertake visits to the tribal districts and take the promised measures to upgrade facilities and undertake development work in erstwhile Fata.