A meeting of the Project Development Facility (PDF) Committee was held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Islam Zaib.
Relevant representatives from various departments and sections attended the meeting.
To ehance ease of doing business, PDF Committee approved funding for feasibility studies for projects in Tourism, Housing, Energy and Power, and Communications & Works departments.
The projects include Development of Alpine Ski Resort at Buyun, Kalam, Nishtar Abad Heights Peshawar, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, Bannu Link Road Connecting N-55 with M-14, and Integrated Tourism Zone, Ganool.
The meeting aimed to facilitate private sector investment and promote public-private partnerships in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A video link meeting was held between Secretary Planning and Development Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Adeel Shah, and representatives from P&D, along with Director KFW Mr. Sebastian Jacoby and his team. The meeting focused on discussing areas of mutual cooperation. During the meeting, the Secretary directed the team to expedite activities and pursue all initiatives simultaneously to ensure timely execution of projects.
A review meeting on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) portfolio for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Planning & Development Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Adeel Shah.
The ADB mission was led Nissanka Amila Salgado, Country Operations Head. The Chief IDS and Project Directors also attended the meeting, while multiple officials attended through a video link.
The ADB team lauded the partnership and appreciated the progress made so far in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasizing the importance of project disbursement and compliance. The Secretary P&D stressed the need for timely completion and directed the Project Directors to ensure that projects remain on track.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi chaired a video link meeting of the Planning and Development Department Chief Minister Sohail Afridi issued instructions to complete the PC-1 of all schemes included in the upcoming Annual Development Program (ADP) by June. The Annual Development Program 2026-27 will be a roadmap for the all-round development of the province and priority will be given to backward districts. In new development projects, employment opportunities, education, health and provision of basic amenities will be given top priority so that the people can directly benefit. The meeting was briefed on the funds and expenditure released under the Annual Development Program 2025-26. So far, 67 percent of the amount released has been spent, while 218 high-priority projects will be completed during the next financial year. The federation has not yet released funds for the rapid development program of the merged districts in the current financial year, however, the provincial government has released Rs 29.6 billion. In the next financial year’s development program, 80 percent of the funds will be allocated for ongoing projects and 20 percent for new projects. The next development program includes a Roshan Qabas package of Rs 1,000 billion for the merged districts. In addition, proposals for the establishment of Health City, Ehsaas Jungle Program and Tribal Medical College are also part of the program. Similarly, virtual classrooms, bag-free schools, artificial intelligence curriculum in schools, Tribal University and Integrated Development Package for Upper Chitral have also been included. Expansion of the shelter network, Zamong Core Network, schools for special children, self-employment project for the disabled, Khyber Safari Train, divisional expansion of BRT, completion of Safe Cities and Cyber Security Operation Center are also part of the next annual development program.
The 9th Project Steering Committee meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) was held under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary (P&DD) Mr. Islam Zaib to review the progress of the project and discuss key implementation matters.
The Committee reviewed the physical and financial progress, procurement status, and major milestones achieved under the project. Discussions focused on improving urban service delivery in Peshawar, Abbottabad, Kohat, Mardan, and Mingora (Swat).
KPCIP, implemented by the Local Government, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), aims to enhance water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management systems while strengthening the institutional capacity of Water and Sanitation Services Companies (WSSCs).
The Committee also reviewed key implementation challenges and provided strategic guidance to accelerate project implementation to ensure improved municipal services, climate-resilient infrastructure, and better urban living standards for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
An important meeting of the Planning and Development Department was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi, in which new projects of the Annual Development Program 2026-27 of various sectors were considered. The meeting considered major projects in the health and education sectors, including tribal medical colleges, nursing colleges, upgradation of hospitals, health city, new blocks, breast cancer screening centers and 1000-bed general hospital. In the education sector, upgradation of schools, provision of missing facilities, restoration of IT and science labs, and inclusion of AI curriculum in computer science were proposed, while scholarships and hostels for teachers in merged districts were also considered. The meeting also agreed on improvement of land records, establishment of drug testing laboratories, financial autonomy of minority communities, and infrastructure development of madrassas and mosques. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, while directing the addition of 20,000 additional classrooms in schools across the province, said that health and education are the top priorities of the government, and providing facilities to the people at their doorsteps is our mission.
A productive meeting was held with Ms. Emma Xiaoqin Fan, Country Director, Asian Development Bank (Pakistan Resident Mission), and the Country Operations Team during their visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for programming and pipeline deep-dive sessions with line departments. The mission concluded with a wrap-up meeting chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary (P&D), Mr. Islam Zaib, where the proposed project pipeline for 2027–28 under the upcoming Country Partnership Strategy was discussed. The ACS emphasized the need for enhanced investments in human and social development, with a particular focus on the merged districts to address long-standing development gaps.
On the special instructions of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi, regular consultative meetings are being held in the Planning and Development Department on the Annual Development Program for the year 2026-27. In these meetings, a detailed review of the annual development programs of various departments was taken. The meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Islam Zeb, was attended by Secretary Planning and Development Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Adeel Shah, secretaries of the concerned departments and senior officials of P&D. The meeting also reviewed the progress made so far on the proposed Annual Development Program for the year 2026-27. The Planning and Development Department is taking practical steps to give a systematic shape to public welfare projects under an integrated strategy and the consultative process in this regard is being continued continuously.