ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the concerned authorities for the immediate release of long-awaited development funds for the merged tribal districts of the erstwhile FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas).
The prime minister issued this direction to the relevant authorities amid a meeting with a five-member delegation of the members from the National Assembly belonging to the erstwhile FATAts. Shehbaz Sharif also issued instructions for getting approval of the funds required for the schemes from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on immediate bases.
PM Shehbaz says govt taking concrete steps to uplift merged districts
The Premier further said that the government was committed to prioritizing the uplift of the merged districts, adding that the government was taking concrete steps to develop financially backward areas of the country.
The MNAs, including Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Tori, Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Moulana Jamal ud Din, Mohsin Dawar, and Ali Wazir, informed the prime minister about the problems, issues, and the ongoing development projects in their constituencies.
Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and Minister for Economic Affairs Division Ayaz Sadiq also attended the meeting.
After the merging of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 2018 through the 25th constitutional amendment, along with other political and administrative challenges, the issue of funds remained a major issue in the area. Political leaders, students, and other civil society organizations also raised the issue of funds several times.
