Governor Faisal Karim Kundi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has approved a set of erstwhile Fata administrative changes that moves control of the directorates and major institutions of the former tribal areas to the newly established Area Development Secretariat (ADS). The move almost does away with the arrangements made after the tribal areas merged with the province in 2018. The ADS was set up after an emergency was imposed in the province on October 11, and it has been tasked with managing 12 designated districts.
What the notification changes
A notification issued by the human resource management department said the directorates and institutions that had been placed under KP departments between October 2018 and March 2019 will now report to ADS secretaries instead of the departments concerned. The ADS is headed by the Additional Chief Secretary for the designated districts. The transfer covers functions, records, assets, equipment, office facilities and other resources in those districts.
The notification said existing sanctioned posts, budget provisions and other administrative arrangements would be adjusted in consultation with the concerned departments. The stated aim is to keep functions and public services running smoothly. Separately, the ADS has notified the office of a chief police officer for the designated districts.
Which directorates and staff are involved
The directorates and institutions placed under the ADS include offices for education, Zakat and Ushr, social welfare, population welfare, agriculture extension, livestock and dairy development, fisheries, forests, irrigation, sports, industries, technical education, minerals, oil and gas, public health engineering, local government, and works and services. The Fata planning and development department, the information directorate, the law and order department, the Levies Training Centre in Shakass and the Fata Disaster Management Authority are also included.
A separate notification temporarily transferred 30 posts in grades 17 to 20, with their supporting ministerial and other staff, from KP departments to the ADS. These are five special secretaries in BS-20, 10 deputy secretaries in BS-18 and 15 section officers in BS-17, where BS refers to the government's basic pay scale. The five special secretaries will be designated secretaries to government, ADS, and will exercise the powers of that office for the business assigned to them.
Officers posted to the ADS will use ministerial suites 12 to 15 in the Ministers' Block of the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar. Deputy secretaries and section officers will keep working from their existing offices until further orders. On Wednesday, the ADS named five officials whom the human resource management department had placed at its disposal as secretaries for the new region.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2018: The tribal areas merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and their directorates later came under provincial departments.
- October 24, 2018 to March 27, 2019: Notifications placed the directorates and major institutions under the administrative supervision of KP departments.
- October 11: An emergency was imposed in the province, after which the ADS was established to manage 12 designated districts.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ki Governor ne erstwhile Fata ke directorates aur bade idaron ka administrative control Area Development Secretariat (ADS) ko de diya hai. Ab 12 designated districts mein taleem, zakat, zarai, public health engineering aur kai dusre mehkamon ke faisle ADS ke secretaries ke zariye hon ge. Is ke saath 30 posts bhi ADS ko muntaqil hui hain aur chief police officer ka daftar bhi bana diya gaya hai. Aam shehri ke liye kaam ki jagah aur staff filhal wahi rahen ge, jab tak mazeed hukm nahin aata.
