Khyber Pakhtunkhwa facing a dilemma, says Hoti

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Failure to meet the immediate needs of flood victims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could fuel the militancy and pose a major regional security threat, Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti said on Tuesday.

The cost of flood relief had forced the provincial government to suspend its 2010 development spending, although militancy remained strong there, Mr Hoti said during an interview.

“... (I)f the government, if we fail to deliver, the situation is going to be disastrous and not only for this province but for Pakistan or for the region,” he said.

“As you know, this is the frontline province as far as the war on terror is concerned. This would be a disastrous situation for the entire international community.”

The government had planned to spend billions of dollars on development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to win popular support and undermine militants, who often recruit Pakistanis disillusioned with the state.

The cost of immediate flood relief would delay those efforts, said Mr Hoti. “We have compromised on our annual development plan and yesterday I suspended the entire new portfolio for our development plan for this province worth about Rs17 billion because of the floods,” he said.

“It’s really very difficult for us to manage both fronts because, as you know, we have been facing an insurgency and we have been trying our level best, pooling all our resources and investing where it was required to fight this war on terror.”

The floods have wiped out villages, roads, bridges and jobs and will inflict long-term economic pain on the government, which has been widely criticised for what is seen as a sluggish response to the worst disaster in Pakistan’s history.