PESHAWAR: The newly-elected members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly from tribal districts took oath in the provincial assembly on Tuesday.
The new MPAs include 16 elected on general seats, four on reserved seats for women and one for minorities. Thus, total number of provincial assembly seats have reached 145 from 124.
“It is a historic day in the history of KP assembly,” said Chief Minister Mehmood Khan. “The newly elected MPAs will play an important role in removing grievances of tribal people.”
The CM added that it was a very difficult task to merge tribal districts with the province but the PTI government has made it possible and overcome all challenges. CM assured that the government is with the newly elected MPAs to work for the uplift of tribal districts irrespective of party affiliation.
The leader of opposition in KP assembly Akram Khan Durrani welcomed the newly elected MPAs and said that it is a historic day for the people of the province. Durrani in his address on the floor of KP assembly said that the infrastructure of tribal districts has completely destroyed, the government should have made ten-fold increase in its uplift budget so that their deprivation can be addressed.
The JUI-F leader added that tribal districts students should be given relief in admissions in engineering and medical colleges of the province.
The newly elected member provincial assembly Anita Mehsud in her address said that the tribal people were waiting to get their rights and have representation in the assembly for a long time. She added that women in tribal districts are deprived of all basic facilities and rights and all efforts should be made to address their issues.
The newly-elected MPA on women reserved seat Naeem Kishwar criticized the PTI government saying that JUI-F has snatched its right to reach to KP assembly. She added that the credit of merging tribal belt with the province is not only goes to Imran Khan but also to former PM Nawaz Sharif.
Kishar stressed the federal government to fulfil the promise of the 3 per cent NFC award to tribal districts. She also asked to maintain 12 seats for tribal districts in the national assembly.
Govt converts British-era Shahi Mehman Khana into MPAs Hostel
PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has converted historical Shahi Mehman Khana building into MPA house for the newly elected MPAs from tribal districts of the province.
The building was constructed by the British government in 1942 and was still used as an official guest house of the KP government. Since there is no enough space available to accommodate the newly-elected MPAs in the existing hostel, therefore, the building of Shahi Mehman Khana has been vacated for the MPAs.
Situated outside the government house, the building has the capacity to accommodate 17 MPAs. For the remaining MPAs, space would be made in the existing hotel. The building will be under the use of MPAs until the KP government constructs new rooms for the MPAs hostel, the officials of the KP assembly confirmed to the media.
Assembly secretariat Officials said that provincial government had formally handed over the official guest house to the secretariat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for accommodating the lawmakers.
