PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Saturday directed the provincial departments to finalise the PC-1 documents for development schemes proposed under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2026-27 by June 2026.
An official handout said that he issued the directives while chairing a meeting of the Planning and Development Department via video link from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Islamabad.
Speaking on the occasion, he emphasized that the upcoming ADP would serve as a comprehensive roadmap for the province’s inclusive and sustainable development, with special priority accorded to underdeveloped districts.
The chief minister stated that the ADP 2026-27 would be designed to promote balanced development across the province, ensuring that neglected districts received focused attention.
He added the upcoming development portfolio would prioritise public safety and law and order, employment generation, education, healthcare, and the provision of essential public services and infrastructure.
The meeting was briefed on fund releases and expenditures under the ADP 2025-26, as well as on the preliminary framework for the ADP 2026-27.
Participants were informed that no funds had been released by the federal government during the current fiscal year for the Accelerated Development Programme for the merged districts. However, the provincial government allocated and released Rs29.6 billion for development schemes under the programme to sustain ongoing development activities in the merged districts.
The meeting was further informed that 67 percent of the funds released under the ADP 2025-26 had been utilised. It was briefed that 218 high-priority projects were expected to be completed during the next fiscal year.
Under the proposed ADP 2026-27, approximately 80 percent of the allocation will be dedicated to ongoing projects, while 20 percent will be reserved for new development initiatives.
The meeting was informed that the upcoming ADP will include the Rs1 trillion Roshan Qabail Package for the merged districts, aimed at accelerating socio-economic development in the region.
Key proposed initiatives under the programme include the establishment of a Health City, afforestation under the Ehsaas Jungle Programme, a Tribal Medical College, virtual classrooms, bag free schools, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in school curricula, the establishment of a Tribal University, and an Integrated Development Package for Upper Chitral.
Additional initiatives include the expansion of the Panagah network, expansion of the Zamung Kor network, and establishment of dedicated schools for children with special needs.
The programme proposes a self-employment scheme for persons with disabilities, the Khyber Safari Train project, expansion of the Bus Rapid Transit system to divisional headquarters, completion of Safe City projects, and the establishment of a Cyber Security Operations Centre. Provincial Minister for Finance Muzzammil Aslam, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Shafiullah Jan, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Islam Zeb, and administrative secretaries of the relevant departments attended the meeting.
