Around 55,000 children in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan are not attending school, Chief Minister Amjad Hussain said during a visit to Chilas.
Addressing a public gathering, he called the education gap one of the most urgent challenges of the region. He said home-based schools would be brought into the public education system to improve access for children in remote valleys.
The chief minister described Diamer as the most underdeveloped district in GB and acknowledged past shortcomings in the use of resources. He pledged greater transparency and accountability in future development projects.
He announced the creation of the Diamer Development Authority to speed up development schemes and ensure their benefits reach local communities. The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will carry out sewerage, water supply and Safe City projects, while the provincial government will oversee the work closely.
In the health sector, orders have been issued to recruit more than 50 doctors under the Special Pay Scale. Facilities at the Regional Headquarters Hospital in Chilas will also be upgraded to address staffing shortages and operational gaps.
The chief minister further said 500 police vacancies would be reserved exclusively for Diamer residents. He added that WAPDA had announced another 400 jobs for local people.