ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to formulate a comprehensive development package for the uplift of merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The prime minister, in a meeting with a seven-member delegation of political leadership from the merged districts, headed by former MNA Shah Gul Afridi, assured that he as well as the incumbent government considered the development of merged districts a national priority.
Parliament Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Advisor to PM Engineer Amir Muqam and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
The delegation members appreciated the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) for presenting a strategy for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into KP which was later achieved through legislation.
They told the prime minister that during the last four years, the previous government neglected the development of merged districts which also impeded the implementation of the development strategy presented by the PML-N.
The delegation members apprised the prime minister of the issues faced by their respective constituencies, particularly the water shortage in Peshawar. They also emphasised the measures for the promotion of trade activity in the areas bordering Afghanistan. The prime minister assured them to take steps in this regard to uplift the living standard of the people on both sides of the border through trade. The prime minister assured the delegation of full implementation of the comprehensive development strategy for the merged districts. Meanwhile, Chairman of Management Committee of Pakistan Cricket Board Najam Sethi on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here and briefed him about the matters pertaining to the Board. Sethi apprised the prime minister of the steps being taken by the PCB regarding the revival of domestic cricket in Pakistan. They also discussed the participation of Pakistan in the international tournaments besides holding consultation on the upcoming Asia Cup. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also attended the meeting