KPK Chief Minister expressed complaints on ‘federal injustices’ in a meeting with the negotiation team
Peshawar – Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi met the federal negotiation team headed by Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal and presented several complaints regarding the unfair treatment of the province by the federal government.
According to ReportsIn the meeting, various inter-governmental issues including consultation and access to Imran Khan, upcoming meeting of National Economic Council, provincial financial and constitutional rights, development funds for merged districts, energy issues, wheat supply, hydropower projects and other important issues were discussed.
The Chief Minister told the federal delegation that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is being discriminated and treated unfairly. He warned that if the province was deprived of its constitutional and financial rights, participation in the NEC meeting could be difficult.
He emphasized that consultation with Imran Khan is necessary before taking important budget and national decisions, arguing that all political parties take guidance from their leadership on important issues and the provincial government follows the same democratic principle.
Afridi said that cuts in the development and financial allocation of the province have reached dangerous levels. He claimed that funds under the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP) have been reduced from Rs 37 billion to Rs 27 billion, while the development budget of the merged districts has been reduced from Rs 66 billion to Rs 56 billion.
The Chief Minister further alleged that the share of merged districts under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award has been unconstitutionally withheld for the past eight years, hampering development and public welfare in these areas.
He said that instead of addressing provincial concerns, meetings with federal representatives often lead to more complaints. He asserted that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not compromise on their constitutional rights and urged the federal government to review its policies regarding the province.
Afridi also expressed concern over obstacles in the supply of wheat from Punjab, provincial gas rights and issues related to hydropower projects. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces more than 500 million cubic feet of gas per day, yet its residents are facing severe shortages and load shedding even though the provincial consumption is around 150 million cubic feet per day.
He argued that depriving a gas-producing province of its rightful share is a violation of constitutional principles and equitable distribution of resources.
The chief minister also highlighted the delay in commissioning the completed dam project in Swat, claiming that the project remained inactive as the required No-Objection Certificate (NOC) was not issued to the Chinese engineers. Similarly, he said the completed bus terminal project could not be opened to the public as the National Highway Authority had not issued the necessary NOC.
He further said that if Punjab is not ready to supply wheat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, then Articles 151 and 158 of the Constitution should be repealed as these provisions guarantee inter-provincial trade, free movement and equal access to resources.
Afridi stressed on full and non-discriminatory implementation of the constitution and demanded immediate provision of constitutional, financial and developmental rights of the province.
In the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal assured the provincial government that the NOC required for the bus terminal project would be issued within 24 hours. He also promised to raise the concerns, demands and problems of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the Prime Minister and other relevant federal forums and support efforts to resolve them.
The post Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s expression of indignation at the ‘federal injustices’ in the meeting with the negotiation team appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
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