The financial health of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which has been a topic of concern for many, and its purported inability to pay advance salaries to public sector employees ahead of the Eidul Fitr festival have added to the distress. The traditional zeal associated with the festival has been dimmed due to the financial hardship faced by many families and low-paid employees who are reeling from a rising cost of living in recent days.
The Eidul Fitr festival, which marks the end of the holy month of fasting, is an occasion of joy and happiness, but the financial constraints have caused anxiety and increased the stress among the people, particularly the government employees, who have to bear the brunt of rising prices and inflation.
The provincial government should have made adequate arrangements to ensure that employees received their salaries on time, including advance payments to help them celebrate the festival. The delay in payments has caused disappointment and frustration among the employees, and has also impacted their ability to make preparations for the festivities.
There is a strong fear among some government employees, business community and all stakeholders that the economy of the province might not be put back on the track, and the situation might continue to worsen both on the economic and political fronts.
Although, the provincial government seems reluctant to break silence over the ongoing financial crunch and issue a statement to media regarding the salary payments, sources privy to the matter claim that the provincial government has decided to approach the centre for payments of salaries to public sector employees.
However, a note issued by the finance department states that there is only Rs 13 billion in the province’s kitty, while the total expenses for salaries amount to Rs 45 billion. The provincial government is likely to receive Rs 20 to Rs 25 billion from the federal government in April.
The federal government should fulfill its commitments and ensure provision of monthly net hydel profit (NHP) transfers based on an MoU signed between the federal government and the KP government in 2016.
In view of current situation, an immediate revival of the National Finance Commission (NFC) is the need of the hour, so that the economic issues could be resolved permanently. Pushing the NFC issue to the back-burner only to gain some political mileage would prove fatal for the province and would create more sufferings to the people.
The centre should also work on clearance of outstanding liabilities to the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO); resolution of the issues of energy wheeling and weighted average cost of gas (WACOG), and the availability of natural gas to the province for domestic and commercial use in line with Article 158 of the Constitution.
No doubt, the situation also reflects poorly on the government’s financial management and budgetary planning. It is essential for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take urgent steps to improve its financial health and ensure that employees receive their salaries on time. This will not only help in boosting the morale of the employees but also restore the traditional zeal associated with the Eid festival.
It proves to be disheartening to see that the government has not been able to manage its finances effectively, especially during a time when people look forward to celebrating the Eid festival with their families and loved ones.
