Resource information
The newly delineated Peshawar City
District (PCD) has undergone significant transformations in
the past ten years. Originally encompassing the adjoining
districts of Charsadda and Nowshera, the district gradually
shrunk in size after both sub-divisions acquired a district
status of their own in the mid-nineties. However, as the
provincial capital, Peshawar continues to enjoy a special
status within North West Frontier Province (NWFP). It houses
the provincial parliament, headquarters of all provincial
public sector agencies, major Banks, Development Finance
Institutions (DFls), academic institutions, Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs), industry, various trading houses, and
major private sector institutions. Over two million people
co-exist in Peshawar in an environment that is marked by a
high incidence of poverty, unemployment, poor access to
quality social services, alarming levels of air and water
pollution, and a worsening law and order situation. Their
aggregate effect is that Peshawar has not only become a less
desirable city from the perspective of the common citizenry,
but more importantly, from the perspective of the local and
international business community, that is so critical for
its long-term growth. Rapid changes in the federal and the
provincial governments have also adversely impacted on
systems of governance. As a result, the development
environment is characterized by a high degree of
politicization, adhoc policies, inadequate planning, poor
accountability, and generally weak capacities.
