Sustainable peace solution in terrorism-prone areas: KP govt to take political parties into confidence, formulate strategy
Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Information & Public Relations, while explaining the details of the decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting, said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur announced that an All Parties Conference would be convened next week to take all political parties into confidence and formulate a joint strategy for a sustainable peace solution in terrorism-prone areas.
The Chief Minister stated that the restoration of peace in District Kurram is the result of the government's sincere efforts and that peace in other areas can also be achieved through consultations with local jirgas and tribal elders, Barrister Dr Saif said.
The Advisor further informed that the meeting also discussed proposed reforms to 3MPO (Maintenance of Public Order) law. It was decided that the implementation of this law would be subject to prior approval from the Home Department to prevent its misuse. The Chief Minister remarked that the 3MPO is a law similar to the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), which is often misused.
Speaking on incidents of natural disasters across the country, the Chief Minister emphasized that such tragedies should not be politicized and reaffirmed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is always ready to assist other provinces in times of need, he added.
Barrister Dr Saif said that the Cabinet approved financial assistance of Rs5 million each for the families of martyrs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who lost their lives due to Indian aggression. Additionally Rs10 million in compensation was approved for the family of Maulana Khanzeb Shaheed, who was martyred in a terrorist attack.
Explaining other important decisions of the Cabinet meeting, he said that the Cabinet approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Income Tax Rules, 2025, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Audit Rules, 2025, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection (Sealing or Seizing) Rules, 2025.
The Cabinet formed a cabinet committee on the agenda item related to the removal of the death penalty provision from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 2019. The Cabinet Committee will submit its recommendations to the Cabinet.
The Cabinet approved financial assistance totaling Rs48.1 million for four individuals - Rozina, Anas Khan, Muhammad Aman, and Muhammad Azlan - to help cover the cost of high-expense treatments for acute medical conditions that were otherwise beyond their financial means.
The Cabinet approved the handing over of Dir Model School Dodba for the establishment of a campus of Khyber Medical University's Institute of Health Sciences in District Dir Upper, so that the current academic session could begin at the building. The Cabinet also approved land acquisition, at a total cost of Rs38.69 million, through private negotiations for the supply of Swat River surface water to Mingora via gravity flow.
The Cabinet approved a cost enhancement from Rs318.501 million to Rs375.210 million for the project titled Strengthening Health Management Information System / District Health Information System in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Phase-II).
It also approved a series of important administrative measures, including the appointment of members to the Board of Governors of the Paraplegic Center, and the posting and transfer of the Managing Director of the Health Foundation. Furthermore, the Cabinet approved the appointment of five members to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission.
Under the Provincial Action Plan, the Cabinet approved the installation of RFID systems and machine-readable number plates on already-profiled NCP vehicles in the province. The Cabinet also decided to limit the measure strictly to profiling of NCP vehicles, with no tax collection involved, he explained.
He said that requests for relaxation of the ban and procurement of vehicles for various departments were placed before the Cabinet. It was decided that, on a case-to-case basis, the required vehicles would be arranged through the Excise Department.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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