News Details

20/06/2018

Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Justice (Retd) Dost Muhammad Khan presided over a meeting of the provincial cabinet

Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Justice (Retd) Dost Muhammad Khan presided over a meeting of the provincial cabinet that decided the formation of a cabinet committee (task force) to be headed by the Caretaker Chief Minister with two ministers, ACS of the merged areas to the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and also took a number of decisions for the peaceful and transparent conduct of upcoming elections. It also decided to improve the level of administrative and social justice in the province. The cabinet also agreed to introduce a policy of reward and punishment for improving the tax collection. Provincial Ministers, Chief Secretary, ACS and administrative secretaries attended the meeting that focused on addressing the legal challenges in the wake of merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The cabinet was briefed about the fiscal space of the province, the four months budgetary proposals, the level of preparedness for the upcoming elections, the administrative steps required for good governance and creating a congenial environment for efficient delivery and improving administrative measures in order to give relief to the people and facilitate the peaceful and transparent conduct of general elections. The cabinet committee/task force to be headed by the Caretaker Chief Minister with representation from the provincial caretaker cabinet and administration will focus on the comprehension of problems, the identification of legal anomalies emerging out of the merger and finding suitable solution for the smooth transition in the backdrop of merger. The mainstreaming of the tribal is the ultimate goal and the cabinet committee will work on fast track that would take care of the financial and administrative measures and would work for the confidence building of the tribal. Addressing the cabinet, the Caretaker Chief Minister said that the merger has brought along legal and administrative challenges required for the speedy mainstreaming of the tribal adding that he has made up his mind to facilitate the merger with a multi prong approach. He had talked to the federal finance minister for early transfer of resources both of the province and the planned money for the development and mainstreaming of newly merged areas with the province. The people of the tribal areas suffered heavily. They sacrificed everything and the armed forces had a lion’s share in the sacrifices and the struggle in the fight against militancy. Mr. Dost Muhammad Khan said that the emerging situation necessitated comprehensive administrative measures and the caretaker set up would go whole hog to take administrative measures required for the timely, peaceful and transparent conduct of elections, ensuring quality governance and improved security situation in the province. He said that good governance requires implementation on the decisions adding that there are three dimensions to good governance that included the correct information to plan a timely response followed by corrective measures and delivery. His government would ensure that the governance structure has the required level of efficient delivery in all spheres. Justice ® Dost Muhammad Khan reminded that he had ordered the closure of play-land and swings etc in the parks following an incident in Abbottabad linking their opening to the NOC by the respective Deputy Commissioners. There are reports that the orders had not been implemented in letter and spirit adding that the deputy commissioners should get a feedback from the consultants after examination of the fitness of these play-lands and swings etc. The decisions for good governance should be put on ground, he added. He called upon the provincial administration to keep him informed about the steps being taken for the general elections and specially the security related issues in order to take prompt actions. He called upon the participants to take all out efforts for creating a conducive environment required for the smooth and transparent elections in the province. Caretaker Chief Minister called upon the administrative secretaries to be responsive to the administrative and social justice yardsticks that are the prerequisites for good governance. They should discourage leniency and dereliction from duty. The government machinery should be all time responsive to the required measures. He wished for improved working adding that the bureaucracy had a dominant role in the overall delivery. We are all responsive and accountable to the people in one capacity or the other therefore we should understand the level of our responsibilities to the people. We should understand our responsiveness and should be out there to discharge our responsibilities without any expediency. By doing so the level of governance and delivery will improve automatically, he added. He said that the government departments should not indulge in unnecessary litigation. This country has a lot of potentials that should be taped for the better future of the nation adding that within a short span of constitutionally mandated responsibilities he and his team will deliver to give relief to the people and successfully conduct the elections. We have collective responsibilities that are mutually interlinked and we have to make collective decisions to successfully get the collective goal. He would wish to welcome suggestions and opinions as such suggestions always fine-tune the decision making process. We are out there to fulfill a very noble cause and that is the conduct of transparent elections and providing enabling environment to the people to exercise their right of choice in favour of their choiced candidates. We will monitor the whole process to ensure that there is no exploitation and no subversion. The tribal are our own people. The armed forces and the tribal paid heavily in their fight against terrorism and militancy. Their sacrifices brought peace and we have to build our future on our sacrifices and the struggle, our people underwent. He stressed for the resource generation and improved tax collection. There should be total transparency in the working and affairs of the provincial government departments. The resources incurred thus could be diverted to some public welfare activities adding that his government would leave behind a strong governance structure for the future government.