PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday decided to approach the Council of Common Interests and the Supreme Court against a long delay in the release of the province’s due share in national resources by the centre.

It said it would useall legal and constitutional meansto get due payments.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting called here to discuss the ‘province’s financial crisis due to a delay in the release of funds by the centre’.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the meeting.

Minister says dialogue with federal govt possible on all issues

Finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and special assistant to the chief minister Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif later briefed reporters on the cabinet’s meeting and said besides moving the Council of Common Interests and Supreme Court, his government would also call a special meeting of the provincial assembly to take members of all political parties into confidence about the ‘denial’ of funds by the federal government.

They also said if the need arose, the provincial government would hold a protest rally in Islamabad to claim rights.

Mr Jhagra said the cabinet observed that the centre was creating financial problems for KP by not fulfilling its constitutional obligations.

He complained that the current federal government hadn’t made any net hydel profit payment to the provincial government, which was an act of injustice towards the people of the province as well as a sheer violation of the Constitution.

“We [provincial government] have been providing relief to the families affected by the recent flooding in the province despite our financial constraints. Ours [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] is the first province to initiate payment of compensation to flood victims,” he said.

The minister said the provincial government, on the direction of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, had also provided Rs200 million aid to the people hit by the monsoon disaster in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.

He said the provincial government had allocated Rs14 billion for the rehabilitation and assistance of flood victims, while Rs30 billion had been earmarked for the purpose from development budget.

Mr Jhagra said Rs20 billion would be allocated for flood-affected families through a single treasury account.

He said the Bank of Khyber had so far collected Rs1 billion worth of donations for flood relief and rehabilitation and its 20 per cent share would go to the disaster’s victims in Balochistan and Sindh provinces.

The minister said it was the responsibility of the federal provision to provide funds for the development of tribal districts until a new National Finance Commission Award was announced.

He also complained that all federating units had promised to spare three per cent of their respective shares in the NFC Award but none of them except KP had fulfilled that promise.

Mr Jhagra said financial and flood-related issues should not be used for political point-scoring.

“We [provincial government] are ready to sit and talk with the federal government on all such issues under the umbrella of the Constitution,” he said, adding that the province will continue fighting for its rights.

The minister said the Constitution called for amicable resolution of issues between the centre and federating units.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced a Rs10 billion package for flood victims during a visit to Swat but it was still a mere announcement.

“The federal government hasn’t given away a single penny to flood victims in KP,” he said.

The chief minister told the cabinet that his government would use all possible options to get its due rights from the centre. He directed all departments to make the best use of the province’s resources to increase revenue.

Mr Mahmood also ordered the strict enforcement of his government’s austerity policy. He said the departments should follow the ban on the purchase of new vehicles and avoid unnecessary renovation of offices.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2022