A weekly review meeting on governance affairs was held on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shahab Ali Shah. The meeting was attended by relevant administrative secretaries and other officials.

The meeting reviewed ongoing governance reforms, development initiatives, and administrative matters across the province. Concerned officials briefed the meeting on the progress made in their respective sectors.

The meeting was informed that, in line with provincial government directives, steps are being taken to promote public service delivery, transparency, and good governance. During the past week, 53 illegal structures were removed as part of ongoing operations against encroachments, while actions are also underway across the province to retrieve Auqaf Department land.

The meeting noted improvement in price control measures for essential commodities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Operations to control prices are continuing, and the district administrations have finalized planning to curb artificial price hikes during the holy month of Ramadan.

The meeting was further informed that legislation for the establishment of the Public Private Partnership Authority has been completed to promote investment in the province. The New Peshawar General Bus Stand is in the final stages of completion and is expected to become operational next month. Work on the missing link of the Peshawar Ring Road Northern Section is also progressing at a fast pace.

Briefing the meeting on uplift initiatives in the provincial capital, officials said that the targets set for the first month have been achieved and further progress is underway. The meeting was also informed that, on the directives of the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provision of furniture to schools across the province is in progress.

Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah directed all departments and the administration to ensure progress in line with set targets and to remain focused on public welfare initiatives.

Addressing the cabinet via video link, the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expressed serious reservations over the conduct of the Punjab government during his recent three-day visit to Punjab. He termed the Punjab government’s behavior as undemocratic, unethical, and condemnable. He informed the cabinet that members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet were subjected to violence and harassment during the visit.

The Chief Minister stated that the routes of a provincial chief minister were repeatedly blocked, markets were forcibly shut down, motorway rest areas were closed by Punjab Police, and even the lights were switched off during his visit to the Mazar-e-Iqbal. He said that such conduct reflected moral and intellectual decline. He added that at a time of economic and political instability, such behavior was not only alarming but also incomprehensible. In circumstances demanding national unity, hateful attitudes were harmful to the country.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government strongly condemns the conduct of the Punjab government, he said. The Chief Minister directed all provincial government officers to extend exemplary hospitality and maximum facilitation to official delegations from other provinces, emphasizing that no one should feel like a stranger in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Chief Minister also raised strong objections over the non-release of AIP funds by the federal government, stating that the lack of funds had severely affected the progress of development projects in the merged districts. He informed the cabinet that the federal government owed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs 4,758 billion. He alleged that the federal Ministry of Finance attempted a media trial regarding fiscal releases through fabricated propaganda. He demanded that the federal government disclose complete details of funds released to all provinces and present a comparison of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s outstanding dues with those of other provinces. He directed all departments to write formal letters regarding the outstanding payments and obtain written responses.

The Chief Minister also directed departments to accelerate work on ongoing development projects and declared health and education as the top priorities of the provincial government. He said that in line with Imran Khan’s vision, health and education were the core priorities of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, and all available resources would be utilized to improve these sectors.

The meeting was attended by cabinet members, the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries, Senior Member Board of Revenue, administrative secretaries, and the Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations, Shafi Jan, briefed the media on key cabinet decisions. He said the cabinet approved the establishment of Takaful companies in the province under Islamic principles. Under this approval, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa General Takaful Company and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Family Takaful Company will be established. The cabinet also approved the allocation of Rs 2 billion for the General Takaful Company and Rs 3 billion for the Family Takaful Company. He said that since the establishment of the Bank of Khyber in 1990, this was the first time a new institution of this nature was being set up in the province. He explained that the General Takaful Company would cover health and other risk-related matters, while the Family Takaful Company would provide financial support to families in the event of the death of the family head.

The cabinet, he said, also approved a supplementary grant of Rs 3,825 million for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Safe Cities Project. The project was launched in its first phase in Peshawar, while the second phase includes D.I.Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, and Waziristan, among other districts. Shafi Jan said significant progress had been made on the Peshawar Safe City project, with 80 percent of work completed on some targets and over 50 percent on others. Work on Safe City projects in other cities is also underway. Due to an expansion in the scope of work, an additional grant was required, which was approved by the cabinet.

He further said that recommendations of the cabinet committee regarding the merger of the posts of Risaldar and Dafadar in the former FATA were presented, under which nomenclature approval was granted for 16 remaining posts. Subject to fulfillment of rules and regulations, these posts will be merged into the police.

The cabinet also approved the framework as per the prevailing conditions for maintaining the quota system for students from the former FATA in medical and other educational institutions on a merit basis after dividing South Waziristan into two districts. Other approvals included the establishment of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cell for the National Finance Commission in the Small Industrial Development Board Plaza in Islamabad, reconstitution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Trade Testing Board, and approval of Rs 199 million for security and other development needs around the Rashakai CPEC Economic Zone.

The cabinet also approved a grant of Rs 168 million for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Foundation, budget estimates of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Housing Authority, and the purchase of four vehicles worth Rs 49 million for the Mansehra Gravity Water Supply Scheme.

According to him, approval was also granted for financial assistance to compensate owners of rickshaws, petrol pumps, shops, vehicles, flour mills, and factories for losses incurred during the floods of 2025. Under the Good Governance Roadmap, the cabinet decided to launch the Ehsaas Education Internship Program with an initial allocation of Rs 207 million this year. The three-year program will provide internship opportunities in schools to 850 talented youth each year.

The cabinet also approved further hiring opportunity for 1,144 school leaders appointed on a contract basis. Financial assistance was approved for nine patients deprived of treatment due to financial constraints. The cabinet approved an increase in project cost for converting six Basic Health Units in Peshawar into Rural Health Centers, he said.

The cabinet also approved new mechanisms for contracts for five outsourced hospitals, a special compensation package for martyrs and injured of the Pak-India war, and a Rs 1 million civilian victim compensation package for Shaheed Noor Rahman, son of former member of the United Ulema Board, Shaheed Mufti Fazl Rahman.

Amendments to the Rules of Business of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission were also approved. During the press conference, Shafi Jan strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of two citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while in the custody of Punjab Police in Gujranwala and said the cabinet had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department was held on Monday at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Peshawar. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Committee and Member Provincial Assembly, Anwar Khan. Members of the Standing Committee and Members of the Provincial Assembly Abdul Muneem, Ahmed Kundi, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Makhdoomzada Muhammad Aftab, and Ms. Rehana Ismail, along with Nisar Baz and Muhammad Arif, attended the meeting. The Special Secretary Higher Education along with the relevant staff, as well as officers from the Law Department, Finance Department, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, were also present.

During the meeting, several important matters were discussed. The Committee reviewed in detail the progress made by the Higher Education Department on the directives issued in the meeting held on 23 April 2025. The Special Secretary Higher Education informed the Committee that the former FATA was merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014; therefore, in the light of the Supreme Court’s orders, 112 male and 96 female lecturers will be regularized with effect from 26 May 2014 after approval of a bill by the Assembly. The Committee directed the Department that, in future, teaching posts should be filled through the Public Service Commission instead of on an ad hoc basis.

The meeting also discussed the issue raised by Muhammad Arif Zai regarding 1,400 kanals of land located at Mamokhatki, which was purchased by the provincial government in 2008 for the Higher Education Commission and was subsequently leased out annually for cultivation on a one-year basis. The Standing Committee unanimously decided that if the lease period has expired, the land should be taken back into government possession immediately, and a comprehensive report in this regard should be submitted to the Chairman of the Committee by 10 January 2026. The Committee further directed that the land be utilized strictly for the purpose for which it was originally acquired, i.e., for the Higher Education Commission.

Furthermore, the Standing Committee issued directives to the Higher Education Department to introduce BS male and female classes in colleges and universities located in remote areas of the province, including Bajaur, Upper Chitral, Upper Dir, Takht Bhai, Karak, and other districts. The Committee also directed that appropriate transport arrangements be made for students to facilitate access to education, so that the people of these areas may also benefit from quality educational facilities comparable to those available in developed districts.

An important meeting regarding the Pehur High Level Canal Extension Project was held under the chairmanship of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Irrigation, Riaz Khan at his office in Peshawar. The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Labour Aqibullah Khan, Member of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser Khan, MNA Shahram Khan Tarakai, Secretary Irrigation Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Abdul Basit Khan, and senior officials of the relevant departments.
During the meeting, officials gave a detailed briefing to the Provincial Minister and other participants on the progress made so far, ongoing works, and challenges being faced in the project. The briefing also covered various phases of the project, installation of pipelines, and upcoming targets. Addressing the meeting Provincial Minister for Irrigation Riaz Khan directed the concerned officials to further accelerate the pace of work on the project and to submit an immediate and comprehensive report on the resolution of any obstacles or issues. He made it clear that no delay would be tolerated in this important public welfare project. The Provincial Minister stated that the supply of water through the pipelines would be ensured by March 30, 2026, which would not only benefit agricultural land but also bring significant improvement to the irrigation system in the area. He added that the provincial government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Suhail Afridi, is taking practical steps for agricultural development and efficient utilization of water resources, and the Pehur High Level Canal Extension Project is an important component of these efforts. He emphasized that all concerned departments must utilize mutual cooperation and professional expertise to complete the project within the stipulated timeframe so that the public can benefit from its outcomes at the earliest.