PM says NMDs to get special uplift projects in budget

F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday decided to include special development projects in the upcoming budget for merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Talking to the Members of National Assembly from merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here, the prime minister said uplift of people of the area was top priority of the government. Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Hussain Turi and MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Muhammad Jamaludin were part of the delegation which called on the prime minister, while Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and other relevant high officials also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the delegation presented proposals to the prime minister with respect to the development projects and measures to solve the problems of the merged districts of the province. Welcoming their recommendation, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that after due consultation, the relevant authorities should include the proposals in the budget for the fiscal year 2023-24.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also directed the authorities concerned to formulate a comprehensive development package for the uplift of merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The prime minister, in a meeting with a seven-member delegation of political leadership from the merged districts, headed by former MNA Shah Gul Afridi, assured that he as well as the incumbent government considered the development of merged districts a national priority. Parliament Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Advisor to PM Engineer Amir Muqam and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
The delegation members appreciated the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) for presenting a strategy for the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into KP which was later achieved through legislation. They told the prime minister that during the last four years, the previous government neglected the development of merged districts which also impeded the implementation of the development strategy presented by the PML-N.
The delegation members apprised the prime minister of the issues faced by their respective constituencies, particularly the water shortage in Peshawar. They also emphasised the measures for the promotion of trade activity in the areas bordering Afghanistan. The prime minister assured them to take steps in this regard to uplift the living standard of the people on both sides of the border through trade. The prime minister assured the delegation of full implementation of the comprehensive development strategy for the merged districts.