ISLAMABAD: Participating in a high-level debate at the Pakistan Population Summit 2025 in Islamabad on Tuesday, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, Shafi Jan, underscored the urgent need for full financial integration of the Merged Districts to ensure effective governance, service delivery, and long-term stability in the region.
Speaking at the forum, he said that while the administrative merger of the former FATA regions with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 marked a historic step, the financial merger remains incomplete, resulting in major governance and development gaps. “To truly serve the people of the merged districts, their due financial rights must be secured, including the transfer of liabilities that the province has been compelled to shoulder since 2018,” he stressed.
He noted that these areas, long left on the margins before merger – ungoverned, conflict-hit, and severely underdeveloped – continue to face the consequences of decades of instability. “The population has endured repeated displacements; even today, some families remain in camps, struggling to rebuild their lives. In such difficult circumstances, they deserve special attention and sustained investment,” he said.
However, he lamented that the situation is the opposite, as promised shares and federal commitments have not been fulfilled since the merger. “The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is currently catering to the needs of the people in the merged districts through its own limited resources,” he added.
Highlighting the broader challenges faced by the province, Shafi Jan pointed to the surging threats of terrorism and the adverse impacts of climate change on the mountainous border region. These factors, he emphasised, pose additional challenges to the provincial government’s ability to prioritise investments in essential services and development projects. The persistent threat of terrorism and the mounting impacts of climate change further strain the province’s limited financial resources – funds that would otherwise be directed toward public welfare, including education, healthcare, and technical skill development.
He urged the federal government and national stakeholders to prioritise the region’s needs. “Only an administrative merger is not enough; a financial merger is equally essential. With adequate resources, transparent financial allocations, and targeted investments, these conflict-hit and marginalised populations can finally be uplifted and brought at par with the national mainstream,” he said.
