PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has voiced serious concerns over the federal committee formed to address the merged tribal districts.
Barrister Saif, KP’s Information Advisor, participated in the committee meeting in Islamabad on behalf of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, alongside the chief secretary and IG. He sharply criticizsed the committee’s formation without consulting the province. “KP is the main stakeholder in the merged districts, yet no consultation was held,” he stated.
He emphasised that merged districts are sensitive regions and any decisions without KP’s involvement are unacceptable, as these areas “are a formal part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”. Saif questioned who appointed the committee members and by what authority, especially since the authority figure seemed “a rejected person” from the electoral process.
Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Adviser on Information, Barrister Dr. Saif, has urged the federal government to immediately release the remaining Rs. 267 billion out of the Rs. 350 billion allocated under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award for the merged tribal districts.
He accused the federal government of deliberately delaying the disbursement, which he said is severely hampering the development of the former tribal areas.
Saif stated that for the fiscal year 2024–25, the federal government had allocated Rs. 350 billion for the merged districts, but only Rs. 83 billion have been released in the past 10 months, leaving Rs. 267 billion still pending.
He emphasised that the development and integration of the merged districts into the national mainstream is a shared responsibility, but the federal government’s lack of seriousness is putting this sensitive national issue at risk. He warned that withholding funds for the merged areas is tantamount to fueling terrorism. “Unless development projects are initiated in these regions, the dream of eliminating terrorism cannot be realised,” he added.
Saif strongly urged the federal government to immediately transfer all NFC-allocated funds to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, enabling the provision of essential services such as employment, educat ion, health, and basic infrastructure to the people of the merged districts. –Agencies
