Showing serious concern over no significant fund allocations for the uplift of the backward areas of the country, a parliamentary panel Thursday stressed the need for bringing formerly FATA/PATA, interior Sindh, Balochistan and backward areas of Punjab at par with the developed areas of the country.
The Senate Standing Committee on Less Developed Areas which met here under the chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar observed that despite having rich culture and abundant natural resources, it is a pity that the areas of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), interior Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan are the least developed. The panel asked the federal and the provincial governments to allocate additional funds for the uplift of these areas in a bid to deal with law and order situation as well as other social evils.
Prime Minister's Advisor on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood briefed the panel on the state of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the less developed areas.
Dawood stressed that every area in Pakistan and around the world has some skill or some speciality that can be promoted, adding the Ministry of Industries and Production is working day and night for this purpose.
Speaking about Tharparkar, he said the area will be completely changed in near future due to coal mining and power plants being set up there.
The chairman committee said that more funds and resources should be allocated for the uplift of the backward areas, saying that national resources should be distributed on the basis of backwardness and not on the basis of population. He said 71 percent of the area of Pakistan is underdeveloped and less than 20 percent budget is allocated in for the area. The committee members said that there is a need for allocation of more resources for these areas in upcoming budget.
The committee was briefed about the different industrial sectors being developed in the less developed areas across the country. The committee was also briefed about the work of Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN) - a subsidiary of Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) under the administrative control of Ministry of Industries & Production - and the various initiatives it has been taking to promote the work of local artisans in Pakistan. The committee was highly impressed by AHAN's work and stressed the need to ensure all ruffles in their path are smoothed.
Senator Rahila Magsi offered the AHAN with space to conduct a carnival to promote local artisans at a park that she owns in Tando Allahyar free of cost.
Senator Fida Muhammad was of the view that there are many enterprises, especially steel mills in Malakand Division, which are shut due to intervention from the environmental agencies. He stressed that in order to operate enterprises in these areas, it is imperative that a no-objection certificate (NOC) is procured. He said that shutting down of these industries caused investors' losses of multimillion rupees and has left numerous without livelihood. He said if the government does not address this issue at the earliest, there will be thousands of people out on the streets blocking the roads in Malakand Division in protest.
Senator Gian Chand while speaking of Tharparker and its artefacts said that a policy must be formulated to promote artisans in the areas. He said that even though the coal mining projects are being developed in Thar, this area has been cordoned off and no village in Thar is benefiting from energy or electricity, adding there is one main line that provides electricity to enterprises operating in these areas.
Senator Kulsoom Parveen insisted that local artefacts of Balochistan, especially the Kilim industry, must be revived. She said these artefacts are appreciated worldwide.
The committee recommended that chromite and coal washing plants be installed in Loralai and Harnoi and asserted that laboratories to test minerals be established. It also stressed the need to provide AHAN with a regular budget to ensure that local artisans and their cultural identity is promoted. The committee also recommended AHAN to open outlets at airports and along the motorways. It also suggested to display products at shops in Parliament House and Parliament Lodges.
The meeting was attended by Senator Kulsoom Parveen, Senator Rahila Magsi, Senator Nighat Mirza, Senator Haji Momin Khan Afridi, Senator Muhammad Ayub, Senator Fida Muhammad and Senator Gian Chand. The meeting was also attended by senior officers of the Ministry of Industries and Production, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), Engineering Development Board (EDB) and Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN) officials.
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