PESHAWAR: Describing the proposed Federally Administered Tribal Area-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa merger as a revolutionary step, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday said it would not only benefit the people of FATA but would also strengthen the country. “I know there are different opinions on this subject, but the ultimate decision would be taken keeping in view the country’s interest as well as the aspirations of FATA people,” he said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of 132 KV Grid Station in Tehsil Jamrud of Khyber Agency.
The Prime Minister said consultation continued on FATA-KP merger over the last three and half months and even today there was a lengthy meeting on this subject, adding, the National Assembly and Senate would take the decision in the interest of the people of tribal areas.
He said it was a long process involving financial and administrative measures.
Under the proposed merger, FATA would be provided Rs 100 billion per annum for the next 10 years as against the current Rs 25 billion to bring this area as well as the people at par with other areas of the country in terms of education, health, infrastructure and other facilities. The prime minister said the revenue loss of FATA due to abolition of Rahdari Tax would be compensated through the provision of additional funds by the federal government. He said that the Pakistan Army was also extending full support in implementation of FATA reforms.
The PM said the grid station project was completed at a cost Rs 780 million. Currently, power projects worth Rs 2 billion were underway in FATA, he said adding the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) believed in provision of equal rights to FATA as were available to other people across the country. He said PML-N believed in practical work and took practical measures during the five year period in power, adding that work on a six-lane 1,700 kilometre Peshawar-Karachi Motorway was in progress which after completion would benefit the people of country in swift travelling.
The PM referred to his conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and said a motorway from Peshawar to Kabul would be constructed, connecting Pakistan with the Central Asian States. He said democracy was a pre-requisite for socio-economic development of the country and the present government of PML-N would continue strengthening democratic institution as well as democracy in the country.
The PM said the federal government had started survey of Tehsil Jamrud for the provision of natural gas, adding, that since the Election Commission of Pakistan had banned the inauguration of development works, the project could not be initiated.
He said KP was self-sufficient in gas production and gas would be provided to Jamrud and Bara people.
On the demand of tribesmen for reduction in power outage, the PM urged the tribesmen to keep check on high losses feeders in FATA for uninterrupted power supply.
However, the PM added that Jamrud Grid Station would considerably reduce power outage and check low voltage issue in the agency.
Earlier upon his arrival, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Member of National Assembly Shah Gul Afridi received the PM at the helipad.
PM Abbasi said that with a 6 percent Gross Domestic Product growth in fiscal year 2017-18; and fast development of infrastructure and tackling energy issues over the last five years, the PML-N government had established a solid economic base for the country.
“Today, Pakistan is presenting itself as a model of high-growth,” the PM said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the expansion of Bacha Khan (Peshawar) Airport.
He said the present government had introduced unprecedented income tax reforms in the budget for FY 2018-19 under which the slab of income tax exemption had been increased from Rs 400,000 to Rs 1,200,000 giving maximum relief to the salaried class.
The PM, however, added that since no country in the world could progress without a solid tax base, there was a need to raise the number of taxpayers from the current 0.7 million to 7 million to put Pakistan in the list of developed countries.
He said the PML-N government after coming into power in 2013 effectively tackled the economic challenges as well as the energy crisis. “During my last 10 months as prime minister there was hardly a day when I had not inaugurated a development project initiated by the PML-N government,” he remarked.
Published in Daily Times, May 24th 2018.
