ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the people of the merged tribal areas had rendered huge sacrifices for the country and faced difficulties; therefore, the government had prioritized uplift of these areas with provision of job opportunities to the youth.
The prime minister was chairing a meeting to review progress on the development projects in the merged erstwhile tribal areas.
The meeting was attended by Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan, senators Hidayatullah, Aurangzeb Khan, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Momin Afridi and Sajjad Turi, PM office media wing in a press release said.
The meeting took stock of the uplift projects and the process on the administrative matters after the merger of these former tribal areas.
The prime minister observed that registration of all businesses and broadening of the tax net were indispensable for the economic prosperity of the country. However, he said, in the merged areas, the imposition of tax rate should be made after considering the ground realities and the issues faced by the people.
The prime minister said about half of the country’s income was being spent on the payment of loans and interest. It was imperative to document the economic activities and increase the tax net for the economic stability.
The members of the delegation said the people of erstwhile tribal areas highly appreciated the incumbent government’s resolve to develop their areas with provision of huge funds.
They requested that hardships of the people in these areas should be considered while imposing taxes.
The prime minister was also apprised about different public issues in these areas.
APP