PESHAWAR: While rejecting the federal budget 2025-26, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Wednesday came down hard on the federal government for allocating just “0.55 per cent” of the total Public Sector Development Programme funding for the province.

During a provincial assembly session here with MPA Daud Shah in the chair, food minister Mohammad Zahir Shah said KP faced numerous challenges, including terrorism, which had claimed over 0.1 million lives in the last 25 years, but the federal government was reluctant to release the promised funds.

“It is disappointing to see only Rs550 million out of the total Rs1,000 billion PSDP allocations for KP in the coming fiscal year,” he said.

Mr Shah said the federal government had promised Rs100 million annually for merged tribal districts at the time of Fata’s merger with KP, but out of Rs700 billion, the federal government paid just Rs138 billion during the last seven years.

Minister claims funds denied just because KP voted for PTI

“Is KP not part of this country? Do not force KP residents to agitate for their rights,” he warned.

The minister insisted that the federal government refused to allocate funds for KP just because its residents voted for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founder Imran Khan.

He said the outlay of the next federal budget totaled Rs17.5 trillion, with major chunk to be used to pay off debts.

Mr Shah said a budget could be called people-friendly only if led the country to prosperity.

He complained that the country’s annual exports had decreased, while the revenues, too, were on the decline.

The minister said that KP generated over 6,000 megawatts of electricity but consumed only 4,000 watts.

He said excessive power cuts had forced residents into installing solar panels but they, too, were taxed.

Mr Shah said Rs9 trillion was to be paid as interest on loans, while the annual development budget’s amount had been reduced from Rs1.5 trillion for 2024-25 to Rs1 trillion for 2025-26.

“This budget is for the elite and not for the poor,” he said.

The minister said that traders paid Rs65 billion taxes annually but those payments by salaried class totaled Rs400 billion.

He said that only the poor people were taxed.

Mr Shah said that economic stability wasn’t possible without political stability in the country.

“We [PTI] reject this budget. The opposition benches should join hands with us to raise voice for the province’s interests,” he said.

On the occasion, MPA Shafiullah Jan claimed that several attempts were made by powers-that-be to strike a deal with detained PTI founder Imran Khan but such bids didn’t succeed.

He said Imran Khan only demanded a judicial commission to look into the May 9 riots and Nov 26 deaths of PTI workers in Islamabad.

Mr Jan claimed that former prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s exit from the country was facilitated through a deal with the establishment, but decisions on the cases against detained PTI founder Imran Khan were being delayed.

PML-N member Shah Jahan Yousaf spoke about the law and order situation and said that the government should check crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

He claimed that a group of Afghan nationals kidnapped a three-year-old child before contacting his parents to demand ransom.

Mr Yousaf said that the police recovered the child during an operation.

He raised concern about the growing incidents of robbery and said more and more such cases were reported in Hazara Division, especially after the federal government announced a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

The lawmaker said the government should strengthen law-enforcement agencies to prevent such cases.

During the sitting, law minister Aftab Alam Afridi tabled the KP Prosecution Services Constitution, Function and Powers Amendment Bill, 2025, KP Charities Amendment Bill, 2025, KP Legal Aid Amendment Bill, 2025, KP Government Servants Housing Foundation Bill, 2025, KP Asaan Karobar Bill, 2025, and KP Climate Action Board Bill, 2025.

The house passed the KP Sentencing Amendment Bill, 2025, which was tabled by Mr Afridi. It also approved the KP Commission on the Status of Women Amendment Bill, 2025, after minister for social welfare Qasim Ali Shah laid it.

The members passed a resolution demanding the easing of medical tests for overseas Pakistanis.

The resolution, moved by MPA Obaidullah, read that some private medical centres deliberately pointed out issues in medical tests of overseas Pakistanis and charged heavy amounts.

It added that the house demanded of the federal government to introduce an monitoring policy for private medical centres, form an autonomous body, and establish centres for providing low-cost medical tests.

PML-N member Sobia Shahid pointed out a lack of quorum for the third time in the first 30 minutes of the session.

Officials of the assembly secretariat went for the headcount and found the required number of members present in the house.

“The question of quorum is ruled out,” the chair announced when the PML-N lawmaker pointed out a lack of quorum for the fourth time.

He later prorogued the sitting.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2025