PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday decided to withdraw what it called “politically motivated violence cases registered on May 9 and 10 without credible evidence.”
The cabinet met with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi in the chair and ministers, chief secretary and administrative secretaries in attendance, according to an official statement.
It added that the participants took key decisions regarding the distribution formula for reserved seats in medical and dental colleges for students from merged tribal districts, the new proposed posting and transfer policy, the committee report on action in aid of civil powers law, matters related to wheat stock and procurement, the May 9 and 10 violence cases, the formation of the KP Sugarcane and Sugar Beet Board, additional funding for development schemes and other public welfare initiatives.
The cabinet decided that “politically-motivated” May 9 and 10 cases registered without credible evidence would be withdrawn. However, it offered no details.
Sends new posting, transfer policy to its panel for review
It referred the matter regarding the award of medical and dental colleges reserved seats after the bifurcation of South Waziristan district to its relevant committee for deliberation and recommendations to be laid in the next meeting.
Similarly, the new proposed posting and transfer policy was sent to the relevant cabinet panel for review.
The cabinet approved the nomination of mill representatives for the KP Sugarcane and Sugar Beet Control Board for 2025-26.
A detailed briefing was also given on wheat stocks, inter-provincial movement and future strategy. The previously notified committee was authorised to take necessary steps for additional wheat procurement as and when required.
The cabinet also approved financial assistance for the treatment of two patients undergoing kidney and bone marrow transplants. Approval was granted for the release of funds under the District Development Plan and District Development Initiatives to ensure timely completion of projects.
Besides, a special grant of Rs150 million was also approved for the counter-terrorism department.
The forum endorsed the implementation of the recommendations of the committee tasked with proposing measures following the repeal of the action in aid of civil powers law.
It also decided to refer the inquiry into the Radio Pakistan Peshawar attack case to a special committee of the provincial assembly for deliberation and recommendations.
Mr Afridi, who chaired the meeting via video link, issued policy guidelines for strengthening good governance, transparency and the use of modern technology in official affairs.
He said that the provincial government had already provided a clear roadmap for good governance and was actively promoting transparency and digitalisation across all departments.
Directing officials to prioritise online participation in official meetings, Mr Afridi said the approach would not only save time but would also result in significant reduction in government expenditure.
He condemned the recent press conference by federal ministers and declared it an inhuman, immoral and unconstitutional act.
The chief minister said that such behaviour was equivalent to deliberately provoking people and destabilising the situation.
He complained that leader of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Imran Khan and his wife were being subjected to solitary confinement in jail.
“Imran Khan is a leader of the entire nation, while his wife is an apolitical and modest woman, so their mistreatment is unacceptable,” he said.
The chief minister said to ensure institutional transparency and merit, all recruitment in provincial government departments, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies would be strictly conducted through the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency.
He said that no recruitment would be made through any private testing agency.
Referring to the recent meeting of the National Finance Commission, Mr Afridi said that his government vehemently presented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s case about constitutional right to resources and received support from all participants.
He pointed out that the continued denial of the due Rs1.375 trillion share of the merged tribal districts in the NFC Award over the last several years was a grave injustice to residents.
The chief minister expressed concern over the 55-day closure of the Torkham border and said truck drivers as well as the travellers, especially women, children and the elderly, were severely affected.
He directed the administration of Khyber district to immediately ensure provision of food, shelter and all essential facilities to those people.
Mr Afridi also ordered the provision of bulletproof vehicles on a priority basis to civil officers, especially the district administration, and said all hurdles to the procurement process should be removed without delay.
Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025
