KP cabinet approves Rs5.499bn for additional Tirah displaced families

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Monday approved the release of additional funds worth Rs5.499 billion for internally displaced people from Tirah in Khyber tribal district, according to Information Minister Shafi Jan.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the minister said the amount would be used to compensate 6,900 more verified displaced families from Tirah. He added that the funds would also cover monthly food support payments for eligible families in line with their entitlements.

Waiver for martyrs’ heirs and debt management body

Shafi Jan said the cabinet also cleared an amendment to Schedule-IV of the KP Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Rules, 2021, granting a full waiver of the prescribed fees for letters of administration and succession certificates for the legal heirs of martyrs.

He said the exemption would apply to the families of martyrs from the armed forces, police and paramilitary forces, as well as civil servants martyred while performing official duties and civilians killed in armed conflict or terrorist incidents.

The minister said the cabinet further approved the formation of the Debt Management Committee under Section 11(4) of the KP Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Management Act, 2022, to frame policy for the effective working of the Debt Management Unit in line with the law.

According to him, the cabinet also approved the KP Public Resources for Inclusive Development Programme with a financing envelope of $200 million. He said the programme is meant to bring reforms in revenue mobilisation, improve the efficiency and prioritisation of public spending, and strengthen the province’s fiscal and service delivery data systems.

NFC case, healthcare law and medical college

The cabinet approved Rs30 million for hiring a law firm or private legal counsel to pursue the province’s case on the National Finance Commission before the competent constitutional forum, the minister said. He added that the finance department had been authorised to independently select and engage legal counsel whenever required and to process contractual obligations at the departmental level so that action is not delayed.

Shafi Jan said the decision was intended to reinforce the province’s legal efforts to secure its constitutional and financial rights under the NFC Award through available legal avenues.

He said the cabinet also approved amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission Act, 2015, aimed at improving the law’s effectiveness and strengthening the institutional role of the commission. The proposed changes, he said, are intended to improve the regulatory framework so the body can better oversee healthcare standards and support the delivery of quality health services across the province.

The cabinet also approved the establishment of a medical college in the existing building of the Regional Professional Development Centre (Male) in Jamrud in Khyber tribal district.

Shuhada package, agriculture levy and Kohistan assets

On the recommendation of its standing committee, the cabinet approved the extension of the Revised Shuhada Package, 2025, currently available to police personnel, to members of the Narcotics Control Wing of the excise, taxation and narcotics control department, the minister said. He added that the package would take effect after the formal notification of the Narcotics Control Wing as a uniformed force.

Attributing the rationale for the move, Shafi Jan said that “The decision aims to ensure that personnel serving in frontline narcotics enforcement receive the same welfare and compensation benefits as other uniformed law enforcement personnel in recognition of the risks associated with their duties.”

He said the cabinet also directed the law, excise, agriculture and finance departments to jointly examine and submit proposals on alternative levy mechanisms, including an agricultural cess or another suitable regulatory framework consistent with the province’s legislative competence.

The minister added that the cabinet approved a mechanism for purity testing and valuation of gold recovered by the National Accountability Bureau in the Kohistan financial scandal through a registered assayer. He said that while implementing the previously approved framework for the receipt, custody, valuation and disposal of Kohistan scandal assets, it became necessary to determine the exact operational procedure used by federal authorities for material described as said to be gold before monetisation. He said the administration department had started consultations with the State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Mint, Lahore, to ensure the valuation and disposal process follows established procedures and standards.

Chief minister reviews doctors’ recruitment complaints

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi told the cabinet that he had reviewed complaints submitted to the Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell regarding the recent recruitment of 2,400 doctors. According to the chief minister, every citizen has the right to have concerns heard, and it is the government’s responsibility to address genuine grievances while ensuring applicants are given a fair and transparent explanation of the recruitment process.

He said most of the complaints related to administrative matters, including corrections of applicants’ mobile numbers, names and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council registration details, while around 21 complaints related to merit. Following a detailed review, he said, the recruitment process was found to be in line with the prescribed criteria, though some applicants were not fully aware of the applicable eligibility and selection framework.

The chief minister announced that the Complaint Cell would continue receiving representations from candidates who may not have filed grievances within the original timeframe. He encouraged any applicant with credible evidence of unfair treatment to approach the government and said each complaint would be examined impartially and on merit. He added that if any genuine injustice was established, the relevant candidate would be appropriately accommodated even after the ongoing recruitment exercise is completed.

According to Sohail Afridi, the province still faces a shortage of medical professionals, and no deserving candidate should be left out. He directed the health department to speed up the posting of the newly recruited doctors so that improved healthcare services can be delivered without delay.

Referring to the government’s stated approach, the chief minister said: “All decisions of the government will continue to be guided by these fundamental principles.”