PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said tribal elders, representatives of different institutions and locals will be engaged to restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as offensives against militants have failed to achieve the desired objectives.

He was talking to journalists after launching ‘Ikhtiyar Awam Ka’, a newly-developed portal for promoting good governance and addressing issues of people in the province at Civil Secretariat, here on Wednesday. He said that tribal elders, locals and institutions would jointly work for restoration of peace.

Mr Gandapur said that people faced issues at several checkposts that were being abolished. He said that law and order could not be maintained without support of people. He said that jirga system was being reactivated.

“The results, that were supposed to be achieved from the operations and actions, did not come. Now, jirgas comprising locals and tribal elders will be held and the institutions and departments will jointly work for restoring peace,” he said.

CM launches portal for people to file complaints regarding their issues.

Provincial government’s spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, however, said Mr Gandapur never referred to military operation against militants and rather talked about the weaknesses in the system.

“I don’t think that the chief minister was referring to military operations but weaknesses in the system including law and order situation, which will be identified by people in the portal and will be resolved,” he told Dawn.

He said that the situation in tribal districts was completely different. “For instance, people face issues at a checkpoint then jirga will be involved to resolve the issue like what we did in Lakki Marwat by involving locals,” said Mr Saif.

Mr Gandapur said that some of the displaced persons in Khyber district returned to their homes. He added that the remaining people would soon return to the areas where there were no security issues since many localities were yet to be cleared.

He said that tribal districts were being focused. He said that jobs would be provided to people having local domiciles. He added that there was huge potential of tourism in tribal districts.

The chief minister said that action would be taken against illegal recruitments and promotions. He said that government was focusing on ‘business’ and would provide interest-free loans to youth.

Meanwhile, a statement issued from the chief minister’s secretariat said that ‘Ikhtiyar Awam Ka’ portal was a robust and users-friendly digital platform that was open for citizens to file complaints regarding their issues and grievances.

“This 24/7 portal will ensure a real time tracking and monitoring of complaints regarding services delivery in public sector entities allowing for swift redressal and resolution. Overseas Pakistanis can also register their concerns and issues on this portal,” it said.

The statement said that the inclusive platform featuring simplified complaint submission mechanism, multi-channel interaction, data security and privacy, citizen feedback loop and artificial intelligence-powered analytics and reporting, was available on mobile app, WhatsApp, email, telephone and written application, offering dashboards for all departments and officers, ensuring seamless coordination and swift implementation of government decisions.

Mr Gandapur said that the purpose of the portal was to provide immediate solutions to people’s problems. “We are empowering people, because solving their problems is our priority,” he said. He added that complaints would not be closed until the complainant was satisfied, reiterating the government’s commitment to citizen-centric governance.

He said that the 99-point “Awami Agenda” was already provided to civil administrations that resulted in enhanced service delivery and significant improvement throughout the province. “Launching of ‘Ikhtiyar Awam Ka’ portal will further expedite the implementation of that agenda,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024