Provincial Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Social Welfare Raja Basharat has said that the Punjab government was pursuing plans to uplift the living standards of the people of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur's Kacha and tribal areas. He was presiding over the review meeting of the committee set up in this regard at the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari, Provincial Minister for Irrigation Mohsin Leghari, MNA Riaz Mahmood Mazari, MPA Ahmad Ali Dareshk, Additional Chief Secretary Home, IG Punjab, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Chairman Planning and Development Board Punjab, Commissioner and RPO DG Khan, Rangers officers and other concerned officers were also present. The meeting consulted with stakeholders for security and infrastructure development in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur tribal areas and took suggestions for future course of action. Raja Basharat said that Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar wanted to improve security and basic social structure in the Kacha area. He said that Sardar Usman Bazdar was the first Chief Minister in the history of Punjab to think of development of Kacha and tribal areas. He said that the problems faced by Border Military Police (BMP) and other agencies would be addressed on priority basis and BMP would be provided with equal service structure, resources and training of Punjab Police. "It will remove the deprivations of the Kacha area and we would build more schools, hospitals, roads and create employment opportunities", he added. Earlier in the briefing, it was informed that the tribal areas were currently being administered by political assistants, Border Military Force and Baloch Levies. Briefing further revealed," Out of 502 posts within BMP, 376 are vacant. The BMP and Baloch Levies have a severe shortage of essential resources such as vehicles, buildings, weapons, equipment, etc." Mohsin Leghari said that BMP was in dire need of resources and training. Dost Mohammad Mazari said that BMP offices and outposts were in a dilapidated condition and there was an urgent need for reforms in the tribal areas. Raja Basharat directed Commissioner DG Khan to prepare final recommendations in the light of briefing and suggestions of stakeholders which would be submitted to the Chief Minister Punjab.
