Kala Dhaka given status of settled area

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Thursday reiterated firm resolve of the present government to bring the far-flung areas of the country into the national mainstream.

The President said this while addressing a gathering during a signing ceremony of changing the status of Kala Dhaka of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from a Provincially Administered Tribal Area (PATA) to that of a settled area here at the Aiwan-e-sadr.

The President congratulated the people of Kala Dhaka on the fulfillment of their desire for changing the status of Kala Dhaka from a Provincially Administered Tribal Area (PATA) to that of a settled area and said that Democracy is all about honoring the wishes of the people.

“If the people of Kala Dhaka want to change the status of their area for attracting better facilities they have every right to demand and be given the new status'', he said.

Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar said that the President complimented the Governor and the government of KPK for having initiated the process of changing the status of Kala Dhaka in accordance with the wishes of the people of the area.

The President said that we believe in the politics of consensus and would take all stake holders on board. It was through consensus that the government restored the 1973 Constitution and gave the new NFC Award and increased the share of the provinces in it, he said and added that we will continue this policy of consensus and make progress.

The President while commenting on the problems faced by the country said that challenges are so huge that no single party or any single institution can solve on their own. ''We can best resolve our problems through collective action that is based on consensus. This is the political philosophy of the PPP and this is what we will pursue.''

The President said that Kala Dhaka has now joined the mainstream and become part of the settled areas, it will be entitled to the same facilities that are available to other settled areas in the province.

The spokesperson said that the President urged both the federal and provincial government to take special interest in the uplift and development of Kala Dhaka and said that there should be a special development package for Kala Dhaka.

The President expressed the hope that the federal government will help the provincial government in the implementation of a special package for the area and that Kala Dhaka will no longer remain a less developed area and will soon become the advanced and developed part of the province.

The ceremony was attended among others by Governor KPK Owais Ahmad Ghani, Chief Minister KPK Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim kundi, federal ministers, Provincial ministers, members of Parliament, elders of the area and other government officials.