KHYBER: The district administration of Khyber tribal district has launched its website to provide e-services for ensuring prompt reddressal of public grievances.

The initiative is the first of its type by any of the seven merged tribal districts which provides access to the general public of Khyber to avail of e-services and know about the spending of public funds and execution of development schemes.

About salient features of the website ‘khyber.kp.gov.pk’, deputy commissioner, Khyber, Mehmud Aslam Wazir, told Dawn that its launch was a departure from the previous practice of concealing ‘administrative matters’ from general public.

“The purpose of the website is to ensure transparency, accessibility and visibility as is desired by the people about the working of the district administration,” he said.

The website has separate pages about governance, e-services, performance dashboard, latest information and polio vaccination and Covid-19 containment along with information about the Khyber district and pictorial glimpses of tourism spots in the region.

“The website is of particular importance for educated youth as they now can apply online for acquisition of domicile,” Mr Wazir said and added that the aspiring students were now exempted from having their documents attested and verified from local elders and officials as the service was offered by the administration free of charge and without appearance of the applicant in person.

“We already have started issuing online domiciles and the applicants now have the facility to take a printout of this vital document from his email in any part of the country and world,” he added.

The website helps in facilitation of issuing death certificate, birth certificate, divorce certificate, marriage certificate and partial information about acquisition of an arms licence.

The previous political administration of the erstwhile Fata would always remain the centre of criticism for concealing information from general public about budget allocations, use of development funds and the status of ongoing development schemes, but the new website of Khyber district would now offer all such information.

The Khyber DC said the website would also help facilitate businessmen and investors in provision of all the necessary information for setting up new businesses in Khyber.

He said internet centres would be established for general public in all the three tehsil offices, educational institutions and other public places.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2020