Plan chalked out for Malakand uplift

PESHAWAR: The (PUKHTUNKHWA)Frontier government has worked out a five-year plan to be placed before the upcoming ministerial meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan, for social uplift and economic revival of the Malakand region.

The proposed ‘Malakand Comprehensive Development Strategy’ includes long- and short-term initiatives in four key areas, governance and security, social sector, infrastructure and economic management, an official told Dawn.

A senior official of the Provincial Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA), which prepared the plan, said the project cost was yet to be calculated. ‘Nobody has done damage assessment; thus, the cost cannot be estimated at this stage,’ he said, explaining that the proposed plan only identified strategic areas and possible interventions.

Pakistan will place the proposed strategy before the Friends of Democratic Pakistan’s second ministerial meeting scheduled for Aug 25 in Istanbul. Referring to implementation of the plan, the official said its execution would be coordinated by a high-level committee supported by PaRRSA.

The committee would monitor expenditure on priority measures and ensure that the strategic priorities were reflected in development plans of the Malakand region, the official said.

Governance and Security are the topmost priority areas identified in the proposed strategy.

Introduction of digital revenue records system, revival of magistracy-based administrative system, construction of police infrastructure, procuring equipment, vehicles and ammunition, raising an elite force and capacity building of the police force are some of the proposed interventions in the two strategic areas.

Likewise, the official said, education, health, social protection and local development were the key areas covered under the social sectors component of the strategy.

Priority measures in the social sector included increasing expenditure on female teachers’ incentives, stipends for poor and girls’ students, provision of free textbooks, training of teachers, construction and rehabilitation of schools, vocational training, improvement of healthcare facilities, establishment of shelter homes and local development programmes, the official said.

On infrastructure component of the strategy, the official said, major emphasis had been given to rehabilitation of the existing roads and bridges, besides expanding the road network.

Similarly construction of an expressway from Rashakai to Mingora, maintenance and construction work on small dams and water channels, flood protection works and reconstruction and rehabilitation of government buildings in Malakand have been proposed. Most of the people in Malakand relied on agriculture and horticulture, said the official, adding the strategy envisaged a number of priority measures, including land development, promotion of water harvesting and soil conservation.

He said the plan included upgrading existing and establishment of new small and medium enterprises and promotion of local tourism, and cottage and mineral industries.