ISLAMABAD – US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome inaugurated the construction of eight US-funded new joint checkposts in the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The envoy opened the work on the checkposts during his visit to the historic Fort Bala Hisar where he also met the Frontier Corps KP-North major general.
Blome also met the new Inspector General of KP Police, Akhtar Hayat Khan, to discuss US support for KP police and their facilities. The ambassador shared condolences for the officers and citizens who lost their lives in the January 30 Peshawar Mosque attack while thanking him for the service and recognizing the bravery of the KP police.
The top US envoy visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from February 28 to March 2 to deepen the United States’ partnership with the people of KP through initiatives related to economic growth, education, security, and cultural preservation.
To strengthen the US-Pakistan economic partnership in KP, the Ambassador and KP Planning and Development Secretary Shah Mahmood Khan inaugurated a new US-funded, $24 million, five-year project to strengthen and modernize the agriculture sector and small and medium enterprises. Ambassador Blome also met with business leaders at FF Steel to talk about trade and commerce in the province, as well as environmental practices in business.
To highlight educational activities, Ambassador Blome visited Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan to inaugurate a new English Works! programme. The United States is providing scholarships for 215 KP students to complete a six-month program in Mardan and Charsadda to improve their English language proficiency and other skills needed for professional success. Since 2019, the United States has provided more than $3 million to support English language education in KP, benefiting more than 3,500 students and teachers in this province.
Ambassador Blome also inaugurated a reconstructed higher secondary school in Akbarpura that was damaged in the devastating 2010 floods. The United States invested $1.5 million to rebuild the school, which employs over 50 teachers and is educating more than 1,100 students.
In addition, the Ambassador visited a government girls’ primary school where a U.S.-funded program increases school enrollment among Afghan refugee and Pakistani host community girls. This program is part of the U.S. government’s nearly $60 million in assistance for refugees and their host communities in Pakistan in Fiscal Year 2022.
