Caretaker KP CM hints at expansion of cabinet in few days

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Justice (Retd) Dost Mohammad Khan has hinted at expansion in the Provincial Cabinet within next few days adding that government has already formed a committee/task force to interact with the federal government for implementation of the overall recovery plan for the newly merged seven districts to the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He was presiding over a high level meeting on process and implementation FATA reforms at CM Secretariat Peshawar. Minister Finance Abdur Rauf Khattak, Chief Secretary, IGP, ACS P&D, ACS FATA and administrative secretaries of concerned departments and others attended the meeting.

Caretaker Chief Minister said the overall recovery plan will include the infrastructure development, the overall rehabilitation and reconstruction plan and the systematic extension of public sector institutions to the seven newly merged districts.

He said that he himself as a Caretaker Chief Minister will head the task force for interaction with the federal government in order to put the implementation phase of the overall recovery plan for the seven merged districts smoothly. Other members of the task force will include Chief Secretary, IGP and relevant administrative secretaries.

The task force, Mr. Justice Dost Mohammad Khan said, would look to the legal anomalies, will address to these anomalies in order to properly take care of the expected vacuum and the subsequent repercussion thereof. The name of nomenclature cannot be the solution but more needed are the financial injections and, the installation of physical infrastructure devastated by different calamities.

The federal government had already promised a trillion rupees package for over a period of ten years for the merged districts. Each year the transfers will stand as rupees ten billion annually.

He said the forces and the people suffered heavily and therefore needed to be mainstreamed, he added. He said the transition should be smooth. All segment of the society should contribute to the smooth transition. He said there should be a multilayered approach to be executed by the administration with backing of armed forces.

The donors help will be of greater importance he added.

He suggested that working in isolation by institutions would further complicate the entire recovery plan for the merged districts therefore there should be disciplined and well-organized working relationship among the institutions. The ground reality is the best guide for moving forward in this regard he added.

The caretaker government wanted a flawless damaged control plan, offering his services to work voluntarily for giving relief to the public and properly mainstreaming the tribal to be the genuine and end beneficiaries.

He has already ordered, for the damaged assessment, the resources required for the infrastructure development and extension of public sector institutions for an early benefit of the people of seven merged districts.