PESHAWAR: The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, has set out the provincial government’s policy direction and implementation priorities for the new financial year, issuing clear directives to cabinet members and administrative secretaries on governance, public service delivery, accountability, effective communication, development works execution, and institutional performance.
Addressing a special meeting of provincial cabinet members and administrative secretaries, the chief minister said that following the approval of the provincial budget and the commencement of the new financial year, the entire government machinery mustmove into execution mode.
He directed ministers, advisors, special assistants, and administrative secretaries to maintain close coordination and ensure that all government decisions were taken through consultation and strictly on the basis of merit, transparency, and public interest.
Afridi reiterated zero-tolerance for corruption, incompetence, and underperformance.
All departments were directed to identify and eliminate opportunities for corruption at every level, including in service delivery and financial management.
The chief minister authorized ministers, advisors, and administrative secretaries to take immediate and non-discriminatory action against corrupt, incompetent, and non-performing officers.
He made it clear that no officer failing to deliver, implement departmental priorities, or meet public expectations would be protected on the basis of personal influence, connections, or patronage.
Afridi declared people’s satisfaction as the primary measure of government performance. He said that departmental performance would not be assessed on the basis of presentations, reports, WhatsApp updates, or social media visibility, but on measurable improvements in service delivery, public access to government services, timely resolution of grievances, and citizen satisfaction.
“All government decisions must serve the public interest, and citizens must receive services and relief at their doorstep,” the chief minister said. Departments were directed to undertake restructuring, institutional reforms, digitization, and other necessary measures to improve service delivery and public access to government services.
He assured full support of the provincial government for reforms that produced tangible benefits for the people.
The chief minister directed every department to develop and implement a comprehensive communication strategy. Departments must proactively communicate government reforms, development projects, public services, and citizen-focused initiatives.
Afridi said that the people could not benefit from reforms and services they were unaware of, and that government performance had limited public impact if information about available services and interventions did not reach the intended beneficiaries.
He directed all the departments to ensure systematic and sustained communication of government initiatives across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and at the national level.
The chief minister directed every minister to visit at least seven districts each month and asked them to move beyond office-based meetings, maintain a regular field presence, engage directly with the people, inspect service delivery, identify implementation gaps, and ensure immediate action on public issues.
Furthermore, each minister was directed to prepare a formal district visit schedule and submit it to the chief minister’s secretariat and the office of the chief secretary.
Afridi directed every department to establish a dedicated complaint cell and integrate it with the chief minister’s complaint cell and announced that he would personally assess public complaints, departmental response, grievance resolution, and citizen satisfaction on a daily basis. Failure to ensure timely resolution of public complaints would result in strict action against the officers responsible.
On development execution, the chief minister directed all departments to align implementation with the priorities set out in the provincial budget and Annual Development Programme and accelerate execution of all approved development projects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments