ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister resolve the pending issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including financial issues and terrorism.
The first official meeting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was held in the Prime Minister’s House on Monday. Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Finance Advisor Muzammil Aslam, and other delegation-level officials were also present. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on important provincial and national issues.
According to sources, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi clarified during the meeting that it is imperative to ensure the provision of financial resources for the province’s important projects, and said that “the issue of Rs 5,300 billion, not Rs 4 billion, should come up.” He also clarified that no political issue was discussed in this meeting. Regarding terrorism, Sohail Afridi said that “terrorism has no religion, country, or province.” He added that the meetings are still ongoing and more meetings will be held, and the decisions will be made public after they are finalized.
Talking to the media, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured him to resolve the issues by discussing them. He said that the provincial government has so far completed projects worth Rs 26 billion in the former FATA. The meeting also discussed in detail the important issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, federal cooperation, and the development priorities of the province.
Sohail Afridi further said that out of the Rs 2,600 billion that is stuck in the tribal districts, the Prime Minister has directed the release of Rs 26 billion. He clarified that the amount of Rs 4 billion is not enough for those people of Tirah, Kurram, and Bajaur who are making sacrifices, and it would not be appropriate to link it with the sacrifice of the people. The Chief Minister also said that no issue related to PTI founder Imran Khan or his sisters was discussed during the meeting, and the meeting was entirely focused on provincial issues and development projects.
Regarding terrorism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that a terrorist has neither a province nor a country, and that there will be a detailed discussion on terrorism issues during the next meeting after Eid. Political observers say that this meeting is not only important for strengthening relations between the province and the federation, but can also play a key role in determining the direction of financial resources and development projects for the province.
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