The government should hold early local government elections in the newly merged areas in order to take the people along in the decision making process of the marginalized area
GHALANAI (Pakistan Point News / NNI - 26th March, 2019) The government should hold early local government elections in the newly merged areas in order to take the people along in the decision making process of the marginalized area. This will put an end to the decades long sense of frustration and deprivation developed by the people in the area over the years.This was the crux of a roundtable conference organized by Mohmand Press Club at headquarter Ghalain, Mohmand Tribal district.
The event titled, "25th constitutional amendment; what next" attracted a select group of parliamentarians, political activists,, representatives of media, academia, civil society, legal fraternity, writers and intellectuals, youth forums, educationalists and medical professionals.The participants of the conference urged the government to arrange for early local bodies elections in the area as this was the only way out to restore people's confidence over state institutions by taking them along in the political process and giving them a due say in the decision making process.
This will give them a sense of ownership to the system they are part of, they argued. Besides, the participants also urged the government to hold provincial assembly elections on the seats reserved for the region while demanding a decent increase in the seats allocated to the area.Speaking on the occasion Member National Assembly and Chairman Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions Sajid Mohmand, said the Federal government has released Rs.
100 billion to the provincial government for the uplift of the war-hit tribal region as part of the its 10 years socio-economic development plan.Mohmand added the funds would be operated through a separate account bank account with a well-defined monitoring mechanism in place to ensure the funds allocated for the region are duly spent on the development of the area.Sajid Mohmand while highlighting government's vision said that billion tree Tsunami project would soon be extended to the area.
Senior journalist and former editor BBC Pakistan Haroon Rashid suggested that the government should encourage tourism in the scenic valley by exploring potential avenues in order to generate economic opportunities in the region and raise its human development indicators.Pakistan People's Party's tribal chapter President Dr. Farooq Afzal asked the government to immediately open up Gorsal border for trade with Afghanistan if it really wants to see the region prosper.
The volume of bilateral trade with Afghanistan, he pointed out had dropped down to 500 million Dollars during the recent past. He said the bilateral trade had the potentials to be raised up to Rs. 8000 billion annually.A legal expert Mr. Zahir Shah Safi advocate said the issues of levis and khasdars is being exploited by the anti-merger elements. He suggested that the government should resolve the issue immediately to put an end to the confusions surrounding the issue while denying space for the anti-merger lobbies to capitalize on.
Terming the merger a welcome move, the speakers asked for a well-thought and well-defined developmental agenda in the war-hit area to raise its human development indicators and bring it at par with the rest parts of the country. This will not only put the backward region on the track to progress and prosperity but also deny space for the non state actors in the region to make a comeback. To that end, the participants urged the government to allocate the promised 3 percent NFC share for the region at its earliest.Some of the participants stressed the need for creating awareness amongst the masses regarding the reforms process, recommending a key role for media, political parties and civil society, to make the entire reform process a success. This, they argued, will foil the bid of the anti-reform elements to sabotage the process. NNI
