Peshawar
Deputy Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Suraya Bibi on Thursday chaired an important meeting at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat regarding the establishment of an FM Radio Station in Upper Chitral, a move aimed at improving access to information and promoting local culture in the remote district.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Information and Public Relations Department, including Additional Secretary Hazrat Ali, Director Information Ibn Amin, Deputy Directors Zar Ali Khan, Nizamuddin and Zarwali Zahid, Senior Planning Officer of the Information Department, along with relevant officials from the Provincial Assembly Secretariat.
During the briefing, the Additional Secretary Information & Public Relations highlighted the growing importance of FM radio stations in remote and underdeveloped areas, describing them as an effective and reliable medium for the timely dissemination of information. He said that Upper Chitral, being a newly established and geographically remote district, urgently requires an FM radio station not only for emergency communication and public awareness regarding climate change and other important issues, but also for the promotion of local languages and preservation of the region’s rich cultural identity.
Officials informed the meeting that the proposed FM Radio Station would be established at an estimated cost of Rs54.493 million, which has already been included in the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2026-27. A technical team is expected to visit the district shortly to identify a suitable building in Booni, the headquarters of Upper Chitral, for the project.
Deputy Speaker Suraya Bibi assured full cooperation in ensuring the availability of funds and a suitable building for the station. She directed the relevant authorities to immediately constitute and dispatch a survey team to Upper Chitral for the identification of an appropriate site and to ensure practical progress in light of the survey findings.
She further instructed that work on the project should begin at the earliest possible stage and emphasized that all recruitment processes must be completed transparently and strictly in accordance with rules and regulations to ensure the provision of timely, authentic and effective information services to the people of the area.
