Paucity of funds: Rs 15 billion uplift projects in FATA can't be completed

Additional Chief Secretary, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Habibullah Khan on Monday informed the Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) that development schemes worth Rs 15 billion had not been completed in FATA due to lack of funds.
The committee, which met here with its Chairman Hafiz Rashid Ahmed in the chair at the Parliament House, discussed FATA-related issues. Habibullah, while briefing the committee on the development projects in the tribal areas said that partial work had been done on uplift schemes worth Rs 15 billion due to non-availability of funds, and only Rs 4 billion had been spent so far.
Minister for SAFRON Najmuddin Khan held the deteriorating law and order situation responsible for the delay in execution of the development projects. He said that no development scheme could have been completed in FATA due to the worst law and order situation. Even if any scheme was completed, it was destroyed soon after, as war was going on in the areas, he added.
The committee, while expressing concerns over the worst law and order in the tribal areas, summoned heads of the security agencies in its next meeting to brief the panel on the security situation of the areas. Committee member Professor Ibrahim pointed out that many educational institutions in tribal areas, particularly in Dara Adamkhel were being used for residential purposes by the security forces due to which the education activities being badly affected. He said that the education institutions should be evacuated so that education activities could be resumed in the areas.
However, the Additional Chief Secretary FATA rejected the impression that the entire education institutions in tribal areas were in the occupation of security forces, saying that some of the schools were being used which would be evacuated soon. He, while referring to the deteriorated social economic condition of the tribal areas, said that the militancy had ruined the entire infrastructure, agriculture sector and industries in the areas.
He said that being the most poverty-stricken areas of the country, a survey to ascertain the rate of poverty would be conducted soon. The committee observed that the biased attitude towards the tribal areas should come to an end and their concerns be removed immediately.