ABBOTTABAD: Three senior most officers including Director General Muhammad Fawad have sought their transfer from the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) after serving for only nearly six months, citing persistent administrative uncertainty, ambiguities in the legal framework despite spearheading what they describe as an extensive institutional reform programme.
According to a joint representation submitted to the Chief Secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Copy available with The News, the officers — Director General Muhammad Fawad (Provincial Management Service), Director Administration Noor-ul-Haq (PMS) and Director Building Control Agency Farukh Jadoon (PMS)-have requested posting to suitable positions elsewhere in the interest of public service.
In their representation, the officers stated that they had served the GDA with integrity, professionalism and commitment to the rule of law while pursuing an ambitious reform agenda aimed at transforming it into a transparent, technology-driven and service-oriented institution.
They said that during their tenure the GDA launched an extensive operation against illegal encroachments and unauthorized constructions, while strictly implementing the directions of the Peshawar High Court by withholding approval of new building plans until the required planning and regulatory framework for the ecologically sensitive Galiyat region was completed.
The officers highlighted several initiatives, including approval of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project for the development of Thandiyani, notification of the GDA Building Code Regulations, 2026, completion of the long-pending Land Use Plan and Zoning Regulations, and execution of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with public and private organizations to promote sustainable tourism, environmental conservation and institutional development.
The representation detailed a series of digital governance reforms, including implementation of the long-delayed Enterprise Resource Planning system, introduction of a cashless payment mechanism, development of a digital document verification system, establishment of a comprehensive assets management system and launch of the authority’s first in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based application to strengthen planning, monitoring and administrative decision-making.
According to the officers, the GDA developed a tourism application, improved its performance under the provincial government’s District Service Delivery Initiative and initiated measures for the promotion of adventure tourism.
Despite these achievements, the officers said the GDA continued to face administrative and legal uncertainties, particularly about its jurisdiction, interpretation of the GDA Act and clarity in policy and administrative decision-making.
