By: Muhammad Ijaz Afridi
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has neglected the merged tribal districts in this year’s annual development programs. As the first quarter of the fiscal year 2025-26 is about to close, a single rupee has not been spent on uplift projects across more than two dozen sectors.
The information suggests most sectors have yet to receive any initial funding, raising concerns that many projects listed in the annual development program (ADP) for the merged districts would face further delays in the current fiscal year.
Available documents indicate that no funds have been released for the tehsil ADP in the tribal districts. There has been no allocation for cultural activities, including those related to mines and minerals and livestock. Although Rs26 million was earmarked for the establishment of police stations in various districts by the Excise and Taxation department. However, no funds have been released.
Similarly, Rs124 million has been allocated for the building sectors within the merged districts, but still, no funds have been released.
The document suggested that in the current financial year 2025-26, Rs1.5 billion has been allocated for the merged districts under the ADP for Higher Education, with Rs. 276.9 million released. Despite this release, no funds have been spent on development works in this sector as of September 15.
Official documents revealed that out of Rs81 million allocated, only Rs1.62 million has been released for the Insaf Rozgar Scheme, but there has been no development expenditure. For local government, out of Rs. 1.21 billion allocated, only Rs. 2.2 million has been released, and again, no funds have been spent.
According to official evidence, as of September 15, 2025, no expenditures have been made in various sectors, including Finance, Upscaling of Information, Livestock Research, Youth Affairs, Science and Technology, Information Technology, Transport, Minority Affairs, Housing, and Jails. While the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Department has regularly allocated and released initial funds for these sectors, the expenditure remains at zero.
In response, the Finance Department claims that funds are being consistently released to the tribal districts. Furthermore, a share of Rs. 42.74 billion, which constitutes 3% of the NFC for FATA, has been included in the annual development program for the tribal districts. However, it appears unlikely that these funds will be accessible this year. As a result, the provincial government is prioritising projects deemed more crucial for the tribal districts, intending to complete them on time.
