Peshawar:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s prime minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that instability in Afghanistan is negatively affecting peace and order in the province. He stressed that sustainable peace requires dialogue with Kabul.
“Our armed forces, the police and people have made enormous sacrifices to eliminate terrorism. We greet the martyrs that establish their lives for peace,” he said, he added: “For a long -term solution, negotiations with Afghanistan are necessary, and is encouraging that the federal government has agreed with my proposal in this regard.”
He expressed these points of view while heading to the participants of the 26th National Security and War course under the University of National Defense, which visited the house of the principal minister, Peshawar, on Friday.
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The interim inspector of the Police, together with senior officials of the Planning and Development and Finance Departments, also attended the meeting. During the interaction, the delegation was informed about the provincial administration, financial management, development programs and security measures.
Highlighting the challenges and opportunities of the province, Gandapur said: “KP is rich in natural resources, but the previous governments could not use them effectively. When we assumed the position, the province was in control of serious financial and security challenges. From the first day, we adopted a model of economic self -sufficiency and we invested strongly in sectors with a strong growth potential.”
The prime minister said that the provincial government, through strict fiscal discipline, has generated billions of rupees in additional income in the last 19 months. He stressed the immense hydroelectric capacity of KP, noting that the government is working to take advantage of this energy for industrial development.
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A dedicated provincial transmission line is also being established to supply affordable electricity to industries, aimed at generating new jobs. In addition, efforts are being made to explore oil and gas reserves for sustainable industrial growth.
In tourism, Gandapur said that the sector offers great opportunities to improve provincial income. The work is in progress to establish integrated tourist areas of international standards. For rural employment, he said, cattle and agriculture have been prioritized, and for the first time, a mountain agriculture policy has been introduced to strengthen agriculture in mountainous regions.
Emphasizing governance reforms, said the main minister, transparency and the provision of services remain the main priorities. “We are effectively using information and communication technology, and 29 sectors have already been digitized, with more progress,” he said.
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On the issue of Afghan refugees, Gandapur said that KP has organized them for decades, but their repatriation is a federal issue. He, however, emphasized that the process must be carried out with dignity and care.
Regarding the fused districts, he said that the promises made during their integration in KP are not fulfilled. He reiterated the demand for a new NFC award to ensure that the province receives its legitimate part of the resources.
When reviewing public welfare initiatives, Gandapur said that 100 percent of the province’s population has received the SEHAT card, health insurance for free medical treatment.
He added that interest -free loans are spreading to citizens for housing construction, while the RS14 billion program has been launched to support young people with starting companies and technical training.
