PESHAWAR: Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on finance Muzammil Aslam on Friday said the international partners at a donors’ conference arranged by the provincial government promised to invest $1.8 billion in the province for the development of the long-neglected merged tribal districts as well as Dir and Chitral regions.

Mr Aslam told a news conference in Islamabad that the KP government signed $1.8 billion agreements with its international partners, with the ADB committing $1 billion, the World Bank $500 million, and others the rest of the amount.

“During the conference, the international donors pledged complete support and inked agreements worth $1.8 billion with various development partners,” he said, according to an official statement issued here.

Mr Aslam noted that the funds would be utilised for the uplift and development of the merged tribal districts (formerly Fata), Dir and Chitral, which were blessed with national resources but had been neglected for a long time.

CM’s aide urges centre to clear province’s dues before budget’s announcement

He said that the pledged funds would not only help develop those regions but also ensure peace in those areas.

The adviser said that the donor conference was attended by representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union, Japan International Cooperation Agency, USAID, the United Nations Development Programme and other international organisations.

He said that the donors’ conference mainly focused on three areas: knowledge-based tools, long-term and effective projects for merged districts, and development packages for Dir and Chitral regions.

The adviser said the KP government delivered within 45 days and took some tangible and practical steps for economic recovery and resolving public issues.

He also urged the federal government to release the province’s long overdue payments before the budget’s announcement.

Mr Aslam said the KP government had written 12 letters to the centre regarding the non-release of the provincial funds under various heads.

He said that the provincial government had written letters regarding the National Finance Commission and FBR and clearance of the dues of billions of rupees of hydel profit.

The adviser to the chief minister said that KP produced 6,600 megawatts of electricity for just Rs1.1 per unit, while the price of electricity was Rs30 per unit in the country.

He said that the province had the potential to produce 30,000 megawatts of electricity, insisting that the center should encourage the province instead of discouraging it by erecting various obstacles.

Talking about the International Monetary Fund’s loan programme, he revealed that the IMF demanded of Pakistan to “do more” and double the speed of reforms amid the ongoing talk of a fresh financial bailout package.

He, however, said that the IMF board of directors had yet to meet to decide about the release of the third tranche of the earlier promised financial package.

He demanded that Afghan businessmen be facilitated and encouraged instead of creating handicaps for them because they had been living in the province for a long time.

On the occasion, spokesman for the PTI Raoof Hasan flayed the accusation of CM’s adviser, Mishal Yousafzai, against a Peshawar reporter and said that he, along with the CM and Barrister Saif, were looking into the matter.

“I will hold a separate news conference on this matter,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2024