Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced a Rs200 billion development package for Hazara Division following a meeting with parliamentarians from the region at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House on Tuesday.
The package, intended to drive economic growth and improve infrastructure, was discussed during a consultation on the upcoming Annual Development Programme (ADP). Lawmakers present at the meeting urged the federal government to prioritize the dualization of the Haripur–Mansehra Grand Trunk Road, a project currently under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Authority. Chief Minister Afridi pledged provincial financial support to expedite the road’s improvement, citing the necessitate to enhance travel facilities for residents of Haripur and Mansehra.
Afridi directed that Rs50 billion of the total allocation be specifically dedicated to tourism-related projects within Hazara Division. He also instructed the regional lawmakers to convene a separate session to formulate a list of development schemes for inclusion in the package, emphasizing a collaborative approach to resource allocation.
In a further administrative development, the Chief Minister announced the issuance of a notification to upgrade Allai tehsil into a fully-fledged district. This decision aims to improve local governance and bring administrative services closer to the population.
According to Afridi, the next fiscal year’s development program will represent a departure from previous iterations, prioritizing large-scale projects designed to benefit the public and ensuring the timely completion of ongoing infrastructure initiatives. He emphasized the importance of preparing detailed PC-1 documents – project proposals outlining costs and benefits – for all proposed developments, with a particular focus on historically underdeveloped districts within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, as well as members of both the National and Provincial Assemblies representing the Hazara Division. Sohail Afridi assumed the office of Chief Minister on October 15, 2025, having previously served as Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Communication & Works from October 13, 2024, to October 8, 2025. He has been a member of the Provincial Assembly since February 29, 2024, representing the constituency of PK-70 Khyber-II.