DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet was held in Peshawar on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, who presided over the session via video link from Islamabad, according to an official statement.
Cabinet members, the Chief Secretary, additional chief secretaries, senior member Board of Revenue, administrative secretaries and the advocate general attended the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan said the cabinet approved an allocation of Rs4,065.12 million to meet critical human resource needs in the health sector.
The cabinet approved the creation of 2,439 fixed-pay posts for medical officers, dental surgeons and nurses to improve service delivery at public health facilities across the province, including the merged districts. It also authorised the Health Department to fill the posts through walk-in interviews to be conducted by divisional-level departmental selection committees under the KP Health Department Contract Appointment of Doctors Fixed Pay Rules, 2022, as amended in 2025.
The cabinet approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Vagrancy Control and Rehabilitation Bill, 2025, for placement before the provincial assembly. According to officials, the proposed law introduces a modern, rights-based framework to address vagrancy, replacing the legal framework introduced in 2020.
The bill adopts a rehabilitation-centred approach, expands the definition of vagrancy to include organised and forced beggary, and distinguishes between vulnerable individuals and organised criminal networks. It provides protection for children involved in beggary, prescribes penalties for exploitative practices, and establishes institutional mechanisms, including a provincial steering committee, for coordination and oversight.
The proposed law also provides for rehabilitation, skills development programmes, after-care and livelihood support, and establishes a dedicated non-lapsable rehabilitation fund to ensure sustainable reintegration.
Shafi Jan said the cabinet approved the Hybrid Wheat Procurement and Strategic Reserves Policy, 2026, as the future framework for wheat procurement in the province. The policy envisages a gradual shift from a state-dominated procurement model to a market-based system supported by indicative pricing to promote price stability. It also provides for maintaining strategic reserves to safeguard food security and encourages greater private sector participation. The move is expected to reduce the fiscal burden on the provincial exchequer over time.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to take up wheat procurement-related liabilities amounting to Rs38.042 billion with the federal government for adjustment against PASSCO liabilities of Rs41.97 billion, with the remaining Rs3.928 billion to be settled in favour of PASSCO.
A grant-in-aid of Rs196 million was approved for the provision of laptops to minority students enrolled in BS, MBBS, engineering, MPhil, MS and PhD programmes under the Chief Minister’s Digital Inclusion Programme for Minority Students.
The cabinet also approved proposed amendments to the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010.
To improve women’s health services, the cabinet approved the establishment of breast screening centres at five divisional headquarters as part of the government’s good governance roadmap aimed at ensuring access to mammography facilities across the province.
The meeting approved the transfer of 15 kanal of land to the Health Department for establishing a nursing college in Upper Chitral and sanctioned cost enhancement for the project titled “Establishment of Women and Children Hospital, Sarai Naurang, District Lakki Marwat”.
It also approved provision of land for construction of a ladies and children park on Kohat Road in Peshawar.
The cabinet approved funding arrangements for land acquisition for the Peshawar–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway through intra- and inter-sectoral re-appropriation of resources. It also sanctioned the transfer of 29 kanal and nine marla of state land for extension of the judicial complex in Hangu.
In addition, the cabinet approved extension of the Tirah Model Financial Assistance Package to 6,505 additional affected families in District Khyber and nominated a private sector representative to the Private Power and Infrastructure Board.
