Peshawar
Advisor to the KP Chief Minister on Finance and Interprovincial Coordination Muzzamil Aslam, has written to the Federal Minister of Finance, detailing the withheld funds and expenditures for the merged districts.
Aslam stated that the KP government has spent an additional Rs. 40.6 billion beyond the funds allocated by the federal government to maintain services in the newly merged districts.
This amount includes expenditures from the fiscal year 2019-20 to 2024-25. Furthermore, under the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP), the KP government has incurred extra expenses of Rs. 19.9 billion, which have been borne by the province over the past seven years.
In the fiscal year 2023-24, the federal government allocated Rs. 66 billion for the merged districts, while the KP government spent Rs. 88.1 billion, with an additional Rs. 22.1 billion spent from its own resources, Mr. Muzzammil Aslam added.
He said that similarly, in the fiscal year 2024-25, the federal government has released Rs. 44 billion so far, while the KP government’s expenditures have reached Rs. 54.4 billion, with an additional Rs. 10.4 billion spent.
KP Advisor on Finance, has reiterated concerns regarding the withheld funds for the merged districts, stating that the provincial government has been filling the gap using its own resources.
Despite repeated reminders to the Ministry of Finance, Aslam claims that the funds are being withheld on the Prime Minister’s instructions. Mr. Aslam emphasized that the merged districts have been facing significant challenges, including backwardness and law and order issues, which necessitate increased funding rather than a halt.
He pointed out that the KP government has been shouldering the burden of expenditures for the past two years, despite the federal government’s allocations being insufficient.
