CM’s aide says Centre unfair towards KP

PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations, Shafiullah Jan, on Tuesday accused the federal government of adopting an unfair and discriminatory attitude towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly regarding the province’s constitutional and financial rights.

Speaking to a television news channel, he said the province had been deprived of its legitimate dues for several months, a situation directly affecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s economic condition and development process.

Explaining his point, Shafiullah Jan said that under the 25th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government is obligated to provide Rs100 billion annually for the uplift of the merged districts. “Unfortunately, these funds have not been released till now,” he added.

The special assistant lamented that several development projects in the merged districts had come to a standstill due to the non-payment. This delay, he noted, was not only affecting the public but was also having an adverse impact on the security situation.

He said that KP receives an additional one percent share in the National Finance Commission Award under the War on Terror, yet billions of rupees in net hydel profit arrears also remain unpaid by the federal government.

Shafiullah Jan accused the federal government of making unannounced cuts and delaying the release of the provincial tax share, saying that although the KP government has maintained strict financial discipline, federal non-cooperation is severely undermining the province’s financial autonomy.