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The chief executives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the finance ministers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab rebuked the coalition government on Monday for depriving their people of their rightful share in the allocated funds.
The censure came at a press conference held in Islamabad attended by KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, KP Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra, GB CM Khalid Khurshid Khan, AJK Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan and Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari.
At the outset of the press conference, the KP CM complained that the provincial government had written several letters to the federal government, apprising it of its financial issues and asking it to resolve them.
“But there has been no reply from their side,” he said.
He went on to say that the KP government had announced a budget of Rs1.3 trillion for the current fiscal year. The budget was focused on investing in the people and development schemes that were near completion, in line with PTI chief Imran Khan’s vision, he said.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t received these funds,” he regretted.
Mahmood went on to say that his provincial government was facing difficulties since the incumbent dispensation, led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement, came into power in April.
“I am warning the federal government today to give us our dues, our money, which is our right. We are not asking for charity,” he said, claiming that the funds to be paid had reached Rs189 billion in December.
He also stressed the need to release funds for merged areas. Not releasing funds for these areas is “dangerous”, he said, alleging that the federal government had placed a “considerable cut” on the budget for these areas.
“The current budget [for merged areas] is Rs60bn while our requirement is Rs85bn,” he said. Moreover, he said, the KP government is also being deprived of Rs4.5bn set aside for the Sehat Card programme in merged areas and Rs17bn for displaced persons.
He alleged that all the projects allotted for KP under the federal government’s Public Sector Development Programme (PDSP) during the PTI government’s tenure had been “washed out” and the province’s allocation under the initiative was significantly reduced.
“And they are also not giving us sovereign guarantee so that we take loans from a third party. Where do we go then?”
The CM went on to claim that KP had not been the Rs10bn promised by the federal government to cope with the aftermath of the devastating floods.
He called on the federal government to pay the KP government’s dues, saying: “Is KP not a part of Pakistan? If it is, give us our right. And if they won’t, we will stage a sit-in outside the National Assembly.”
The CM said they had the opposition’s support in KP for the intended move and if KP’s funds were not released even after the sit-in, “we will gather people from KP and bring them to Islamabad”.
“If they will not give us our right, we will snatch it,” he warned, adding that the KP government was open to talks with the federal government on the matter.
Joining CM Mahmood in expressing grievances over the alleged shortage of funds, GB chief executive Khurshid said while the development budget for all other regions was increased this year but for GB, it was reduced from Rs40bn to Rs25bn.
“This has never happened in our history,” he remarked, terming the move “enmity with the region”.
Moreover, he continued, the federal government had released a mere Rs2.8bn under the ADP for GB in the first six months of the current fiscal year — an amount insufficient to run the administrative unit.
CM Khurshid also regretted that not a single project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was launched in GB, which had a significant capacity to produce electricity.
Now, he said, the area was experiencing hours-long loadshedding. “And the GB government has also run out of money to run diesel generator sets” to reduce the duration of loadshedding,“ he added.
He also rued that the federal government had reduced the wheat subsidy for GB.
“From where do we arrange for electricity and wheat now?” he questioned.
The CM also decried that GB had not been given funds to deal with the flood aftermath.
“They committed to give us developments funds worth Rs40bn and they did not even honour that,” he added.
CM Khurshid said his government was left with no other option now but to go on strike.
“We will hold a strike across GB and then, if possible, we will also bring people here (Islamabad). We will hold a cabinet meeting outside the National Assembly. They have made a joke out of this.”