DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Monday accused the federal government of depriving the province of Rs109 billion in financial allocations, alleging that the cuts violated constitutional provisions and undermined the province’s rights.
In a statement, he claimed the provincial government had failed to defend Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s financial and constitutional interests and instead facilitated the federal government’s decision.
Mr Hussain alleged that the provincial leadership had surrendered the province’s financial, constitutional and political rights, despite portraying itself as an opponent of the federal government. He said the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been deprived of their due share of resources for years.
Referring to discussions in the National Economic Council, he welcomed Balochistan’s efforts to defend its rights but questioned why the KP government had not taken a similar stand.
He said the province was facing severe security and economic challenges due to terrorism and argued that reducing its financial allocations under such circumstances sent the wrong message. He also criticised the federal budget for failing to announce a special relief package or development initiatives for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The ANP leader maintained that the province had borne the brunt of terrorism, displacement, economic losses and destruction over the past two decades and therefore required greater federal support for rehabilitation and development.
Mr Hussain further alleged that both the federal and provincial governments were responsible for increasing the province’s sense of deprivation, claiming that one had withheld its rights while the other had failed to resist the move. He said the ANP would continue its struggle for the protection of KP’s resources, financial autonomy, constitutional rights and the interests of its people.
