Given the increasing environmental fragility, unregulated construction, and the critical need for climate-responsive and culturally appropriate development in the mountain areas of the province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed a working group to provide guidelines for proper regulation of construction related affairs.

The Minister of Ministry Secretariat has issued a formal letter to additional chief secretary, planning and development to constitute and lead a working group that has membership of the administrative secretaries concerned, head of the units and experts in the field.

The letter proposes to study and recommend the adaptation and institutionalization of the guidelines for the mountain architecture ‘a research work written by a Dr. Zahra Hussain for implementation in KP.

The letter emphasizes that the above-mentioned pioneering work presents a contextual grounded, climate-responsive and cultural-sensitive architectural approach tailored to Pakistan’s mountain areas, developed through extensive social engagement, academic research and technical validation.

It adds that the guidelines offer practical strategies for sustainably built form, passive solar cell design, cultural landscape conservation, material use, visitors management and integration with local economies and ecosystems; and is considered a master who guides the framework for harmonization of environmental management, tourist infrastructure and linguistic wisdom.

The letter also suggests that the working group is considering how the proposed principles of the aforementioned research work could be adapted, adapted, institutionalized and legally adopted to the mountainous districts of KP in accordance with provincial laws, plan a framework and operational realities.

According to the term for the reference described in the letter, the working group must review and adapt the guidelines of the mountain architecture in accordance with the climatic, cultural and architectural realities of the province, formulate a legal and regulatory integration plan, including necessary changes to the relevant rules and rules, identify and propose institutional mechanisms for approval, monitoring, and communication through local financial support.

The working group has been instructed to submit its extensive recommendations and the proposed implementing plan within sixty days to the Minister of Chief.

On Friday, the minister of chief, as a major initiative aimed at promoting mountain farming in the province, had decided to formulate a dedicated policy of mountain farming.

The Ministry of Minister’s Secretariat has formally sent an official letter along with a concept paper to the agricultural department with direction to end the draft of the proposed ‘KP Mountain Agriculture Policy’ based on the concept paper and present the same to the competent forum for approval within 45 days.