The federal government on Monday cleared three major KP infrastructure projects worth Rs100 billion and recommended them to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)—the high-level body that gives final approval to large development schemes—for formal clearance.
The decision came from a meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), the federal forum that screens public investment plans, chaired by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal. Under financial rules, the CDWP can itself approve schemes costing up to Rs7.5bn; larger ones are cleared only for Ecnec’s decision.
Iqbal said the federal government “reaffirms commitment to KP’s development,” pointing to the recommendation of a Rs69.89bn irrigation project meant to strengthen agriculture and rural livelihoods. Officials have framed the package against the Centre’s stated push for provincial development since the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, alongside security priorities.
The three KP schemes sent to Ecnec
The first mega water-and-agriculture scheme is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Resilient Irrigated Agriculture Livelihoods Development Project, valued at Rs69.89bn. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)—a Manila-based multilateral lender—would co-finance about Rs56.133bn (stated as $200m), while the KP government would provide Rs11.69bn including land acquisition. Planned works include rehabilitating the Pehur Main Canal, building the Mulkhow Irrigation Distribution System, and extending the Pehur High Level Canal.
The second referral is the Rs13.32bn Prime Minister’s Solar Scheme for Newly Merged Districts, aimed at off-grid solar solutions for households in the merged areas. Those districts sit among 12 now overseen by the Area Representative and Development Council after the emergency arrangements.
The third is a transport scheme: improvement and widening of the 39-kilometre Chakdara–Timergara section of National Highway N-45, costing Rs17.01bn. Financing is planned through foreign funding via Exim Bank. Planners say the corridor links Chakdara, Timergara, Dir and Chitral and is expected to support trade, road safety and tourism toward the Kalash, Shandur and Kumrat valleys.
Together, the irrigation, solar and road referrals make up the Rs100bn KP infrastructure projects package now awaiting Ecnec.
Wider CDWP decisions the same day
Beyond KP, the CDWP cleared another 11 projects across the country with an estimated investment of nearly Rs126.50bn, including an Rs85.34bn hill-torrent management scheme in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur in Punjab, also recommended to Ecnec and partly backed by the ADB. That brought the day’s total to 14 projects at about Rs226.48bn. Of these, Rs40.9bn covering 10 smaller schemes was approved by the CDWP itself, while four larger schemes were sent to Ecnec.
Officials said two mega water and agriculture projects worth around $550m in KP and Punjab would also unlock about $460m in ADB loans. Other clearances the same day included education, youth, broadcasting and power pilots elsewhere in the country; those remain separate from the KP package headed to Ecnec.
What happens next
Ecnec must still grant formal approval before the large KP construction projects can move to full financing and execution. Timelines for groundbreaking, contractor awards and household connections were not set out in the Monday clearance.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Federal government ne KP ke teen barey infrastructure projects, lagbhag 100 arab rupay ke, Ecnec ko bhej diye hain. In mein canal aur ziraat, merged districts ke liye solar, aur Chakdara se Timergara tak N-45 road shamil hain. Ab final approval Ecnec degi; tabhi kaam shuru hone ka asaan rasta khulega. Kisaan, off-grid gharane aur Dir–Chitral travel is se mutasir ho sakte hain jab schemes ground par aayein.
