The federal cabinet has approved the establishment of regional representative and development councils in 12 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has also approved the nomination of 48 representatives for the councils.
According to sources, local jirgas completed the selection process through mutual consultation. The process covered all 12 districts and aimed to nominate respected individuals preferred by local communities.
Read more: Pakistan approves urgent funds for 12 KP districts
Officials organised jirgas with support from the relevant deputy commissioners. These meetings helped communities discuss and select suitable candidates for council membership. Furthermore, the Additional Chief Secretary and Administrator of the Area Development Secretariat reviewed and processed the nominated members’ names.
After completing the consultation process, the secretariat sent the list to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary. The chief secretary then forwarded the nominees’ names to the provincial governor for further action.
Subsequently, the KP governor sent the list of nominated representatives to the federal government. The federal cabinet later approved the councils and the nominations. As a result, the appointment process for 48 representatives across the 12 districts has received government approval.
Read more: 26 KP districts declared hard areas, risk allowance approved
The development marks progress towards establishing the regional councils through a consultation-based process. However, the authorities have not yet issued the formal notification confirming the appointments.
The federal government is now expected to issue the official notification for the council members. Once it does, the formal appointment process and the status of the nominated representatives will become clear.