Opp slams PTI govt for failing to safeguard KP’s rights

PESHAWAR: The opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtun-khwa Assembly on Tuesday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government for being unable to safeguard rights of the province.

During general discussion on the annual budget for 2022-23, the opposition parties said the PTI had been ruling KP for nine years, but it still blamed the previous federal governments for not providing due share to the province from the federal divisible pool.

Ahmad Kundi of Pakistan People’s Party said the PTI remained in power for the about four years in centre but its provincial government failed to secure the arrears of the net hydel profit and the promised funds for the merged districts.

He said that the credit went to the PPP government that announced maximum shares to the provinces in NFC Award and gave KP Rs110 billion on account of net hydel profit arrears during its last tenure in the centre.

He added that neither the PMLN nor the PTI-led government could announce the NFC Award during their respective governments.

He claimed that the actual profit and electricity generation of Tarbela and Warsak dams were shown incorrect in the budget documents for the next financial year. He said it amounted to a blunder and criminal negligence on the part of the provincial government that might deprived the province of its due share in the net hydel profit.

“We are not doing politics on key issues including net hydel profit, royalty on oil and gas, our share in federal divisible pool,” he said and added that the economic issues must be resolved through political consensus and consultation.

Participating in the general discussion on annual budget, Ikhtiar Wali Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz showed some documents in the provincial assembly, claiming that was the written agreement of PTI-led government with International Monetary Fund (IMF) that caused unprecedented price-hike and economic disability.

“The PTI governments in the centre and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deceived the people with empty slogans like Naya Pakistan, Riyasat-e-Madina and now Khuddar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but let me tell you that you can’t befool the entire nation,” he said. He added the provinces were responsible for resolving health, education, agricultural and other issues after the 18th amendment.

“The provincial government was responsible for allocating funds for health insurance and other health and education related issues for the people of former tribal areas,” he added.

Mir Kalam Wazir, independent MPA from North Waziristan, said the provincial government had suspended funds for the rehabilitation of displaced people of North Waziristan and other tribal districts.

“Most of the displaced families are either living in Afghanistan or confined to Bakakhel camp in Bannu district,” he said and added that the federal as well as provincial governments must make proper arrangements for their repatriation.

He demanded an inquiry into the fires that erupted in forests in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Finance Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, who was supposed to be present in the House during the general debate on the budget, reached the provincial assembly when most of the lawmakers had delivered their speeches. Deputy Speaker Mehmood Khan, who was presiding over the session, at one time directed the provincial Law Minister Fazl Shakoor Khan to go and find out the finance minister to wind up the debates on annual budget.

In his speech, Taimur Salim Jhagra spent most of his time defending the policies of Imran Khan-led government in the centre

“As the present coalition government has come into power under a conspiracy, we have to reflect the vision, economic programme and manifesto of our party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget,” he said.

He claimed that the PTI government had announced a historical and public-friendly budget with its limited resources. He said the PTI government had rather increased its revenue from its own resources.

The minister said the provincial government did not compromise on getting its due share from the previous PTI-led federal government. He lamented that the incumbent federal government reduced budget for the newly merged districts and stopped funding for health insurance of the tribal people.