Govt to utilize all resources to bring former FATA at par with rest of country: PM

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (APP):Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that government would utilize all possible resources to bring former tribal areas (FATA) at par with rest of the country.
“The minerals produced in former tribal areas, now merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have the right of the local people and it would be used for betterment of the people and development of the area,” the prime minister said, adding, “no one would be allowed to exploit the right of the local people in this regard.”
The prime minister stated this while talking to a delegation of Members of the National Assembly of former FATA. The delegation included Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noor ul Haq Qadri, Advisor to the PM, Shahzad Arbad, MNAs Gul Dad Khan, Gul Zafar Khan, Sajid Khan, Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, Munir Khan Aurakzai, Sajid Hussain Toori, Jawad Hussain, Muhammad Jamal u Din, Muhammad Ali and Abdul Shakoor.
The delegation discussed with the prime minister merging of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, development schemes and issues confronted the people of former tribal areas.
The prime minister said the patriotic people of tribal areas had suffered a lot of problems in last several decades and added that development of former FATA and visible improvement in the lives of its people was the foremost priority of the PTI government.
The prime minister assured the parliamentarians that the federal government would utilize optimum resources for uplift of the areas by providing health, education and employment facilities to tribal youth.
He said the government was trying its best to complete the process of merger of FATA with KP without any delay and hindrance. He said besides provision of allocated annual development funds for former FATA ,the federal government, with the cooperation of the provincial governments, would try its best to fulfill the promises made with the people of tribal areas in distribution of the NFC Award.
The prime minister expressed his dismay over unreasonable attitude of government official with the local people and directed the officials to mend their way and resolve problems of the local people without any delay.
Prime Minister Imran Khan told the parliamentary delegation that government was committed to implement local government system in former FATA so that the elected representatives, keeping in view their areas requirements, could utilize the sanctioned amount for welfare of their people and development of the areas.