CM stresses institutional strengthening for uplift

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Wednesday that institutional strengthening was the only way to ensure sustainable development and the establishment of a welfare state.

An official handout quoted him of saying that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf believes in strengthening institutions instead of depending on personalities.

The chief minister said that the KP government had established a model of sustainable development in the province to make the KP financially self-sustainable to enable it to contribute to the national exchequer.

He said due to long-term planning, KP had been set on the track of development which would make the province a role model for national development. The chief minister said the KP government had worked tirelessly for the promotion of tourism as an industry which had made the province a tourist destination not only at the national but also at the international level.

“In order to exploit the natural resources available in the province, various initiatives have been undertaken in which the wheeling model deserves special attention,” he pointed out.

The chief minister said the provision of inexpensive electricity had made KP an attractive destination for national and international investors, seeking the establishment of small and large industrial units.

He maintained that despite various constraints and challenges, the provincial government had successfully completed the integration of erstwhile tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which was considered a daunting task.

However, he believed, the present federal government’s attitude was indifferent to the merged areas which had raised concerns. Mahmood Khan said the non-provision of development funds had led to apprehensions among the tribal people.

Pointing to the initiatives taken in the education and health sectors, he said deficiencies of staff and other resources in the government schools and hospitals had been addressed due to which service delivery had improved. The chief minister said we could never succeed as a nation without ensuring uniform development.