Peshawar: The Government and opposition members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Wednesday raised serious questions over the decision to divide Kohistan into three districts, as Speaker Babar Saleem Swati proposed a fresh review of the 2014 decision, calling it a possible administrative mistake of the past.
Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati, said that the decision taken in 2014 to divide Kohistan into three districts needs reassessment, because granting district status to some areas without fully notifying them has proven to be a serious administrative error.
He said that establishing districts where there are neither offices nor basic infrastructure raises serious concerns.
During question hour in the assembly session on Wednesday, MPA Sajjadullah informed the House that there is no proper agriculture setup in Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas, yet these districts are being treated in a discriminatory manner, and even summaries related to recruitments are not approved.
On this occasion, MPA Jalal Khan said that although Kohistan has been divided into three districts, in practice only one director is managing the affairs of all three districts, which is a clear example of administrative weakness.
In response, Law Minister Aftab Alam said that creating districts on the basis of a small population leads to financial difficulties. He added that the existing staff is managing the administrative affairs of all three districts. He further said that although Sindh is a double-budget province, its human resources are fewer than those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the salaries of the government machinery for just one month exceed 65 billion rupees.
The Law Minister further stated that the concerned members should sit with the Chief Minister to find a comprehensive solution to the issues in order to overcome administrative and financial hurdles.
Speaker Babar Saleem Swati made it clear that in the past, districts were created that were not fully notified, where neither offices were established nor infrastructure existed. He said this is a matter that requires serious reflection as to why such districts were created, and if the decision was a mistake, it should be reviewed afresh. The Speaker also proposed the formation of a committee comprising ministers for this purpose.