- KP CM unveils a budget with an expected deficit of Rs48 billion.
- CM Afridi says 92 MPAs decided to present budget.
- KP CM thanks parliamentarians for working on the budget.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Friday that the province would withhold grants to the federal government until authorities allowed meetings with jailed PTI founder Imran Khan.
The KP chief minister made the remarks during his budget speech, presenting the provincial budget for the financial year 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 2.17 trillion and a projected deficit of Rs 48 billion.
“Until meetings are restored, no grant will be filed,” he said, adding that the provincial government’s demand was for the PTI founder to receive treatment in the best hospital and for meetings with him to resume.
The chief minister said that 92 members of the provincial assembly had jointly decided to present the budget and thanked the parliamentarians for working day and night on the financial plan.
PTI General Secretary Salman Akram Raja had earlier said that the KP government would approve a three-month budget paper only if a meeting with the jailed PTI founder does not take place by June 30.
Addressing the media on June 16, Raja said the final budget would not be presented until consultation with the former prime minister took place.
Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 following convictions he and his PTI say are politically motivated.
Since his ouster in 2022 in a vote of no confidence, he has faced several cases, including over state gifts and an illegal marriage. Some sentences have been suspended or overturned pending appeals. He denies any wrongdoing.
Later, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said that only Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could decide on the demand to allow a meeting with Khan before contributing funds to the federal government.
Speaking on Pakinomist News program ‘Capital Talk’, the finance minister said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government did not mind “in principle” cutting development expenditure to release funds for the Centre.
CM Afridi presents the budget after an opposition delegation led by PTI’s Asad Qaiser met FinMin Aurangzeb in Islamabad to discuss budget-related concerns.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Qaiser said the PTI delegation discussed issues related to the erstwhile FATA/PATA with the government delegation.
He added that political issues were not discussed during the meeting, but said the opposition was ready for a “democracy charter”.
