CM Afridi approaches IHC to meet Imran ahead of KP budget

ISLAMABAD:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for consultations on the province’s upcoming budget ahead of the next financial year.

Speaking to reporters outside the court along with KP finance adviser Muzammil Aslam, the chief minister said the meeting was necessary as the provincial budget had already been prepared and required what he described as final input from the PTI founder.

He said the mandate given by the people of KP was linked to Imran’s political vision, which makes consultation on the budget essential.

“We want to consult our leader Imran Khan before presenting the budget for 2026-2027 and present it according to his vision,” he said. He added that the people of KP had voted for Imran and expected the provincial budget to align with his political and economic priorities.

Afridi said consultation with Imran before finalizing the budget was necessary and reiterated that a court petition had been filed to secure a meeting. He also expressed concern over Imran’s health, claiming that “25 percent of his vision has been affected”, adding that restrictions on his medical treatment and meetings were worrying.

He said not letting Imran meet his family, lawyers and party leaders was unfair.

Read: Rs17.1tr budget proposed for FY27

Afridi said the province faced what he called unfair treatment in the distribution of resources, claiming that KP had been sidelined in the federal development planning and the previous budget cycle.

The chief minister alleged that KP was deprived of its financial rights under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and other transfers, claiming that Rs12 billion had been withdrawn from the province’s funds.

He said the province had spent over Rs 30 billion on policing in the fight against terrorism.

Afridi claimed that the province was being “punished” for its political alignment and that the government was focusing on political retaliation rather than economic issues, adding that inflation, unemployment and poverty continued to rise in the country.

The chief minister also criticized the broader economic situation, saying greater focus should be placed on improving the conditions of low-income groups and addressing rising security challenges in the province. He alleged that terrorism had increased in KP and said the federal government had not responded adequately.

He said industrial units were shutting down and capital was moving abroad while farmers were facing hardships due to what he described as harmful government policies. Afridi further claimed that more than 45 percent of the population had fallen below the poverty line.

Afrifi said the national debt had increased from Rs43 trillion to Rs97 trillion over the past few years.

The chief minister further announced that his party would stage a protest outside parliament during the upcoming budget session expected to begin on June 10, maintaining that the provincial government had the authority to take its own decisions under the constitution.

Read more: Budget 2027 & fiscal illusion

Finance Adviser to KP said a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) was initially scheduled for May 21 but was later held on June 1, adding that expectations of clear decisions had not materialised.

He said the planning minister had “outlined the challenges”, suggesting there were funding constraints at the federal level. “He looked visibly worried about the problems of the province and it felt like even the planning minister himself was distressed by the situation,” Aslam said.

He added that Pakistan and other countries generally raise capital through the capital markets, noting that financing arrangements had been made through guarantees from an Asian bank.

Aslam said the delay in the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and the change in the budget process was a “worrying situation”.

He further claimed that the government was struggling to finalize the budget framework, saying there was disagreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that the coalition partners were also not fully aligned.

Aslam further said that in an earlier meeting the provinces had been asked to generate an additional Rs430 billion. in tax revenue, adding that provincial governments had questioned the feasibility of such a goal.

“We were told to collect property tax and share it with the federal government,” he said. He added that according to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data, Peshawar had generated one of the highest tax collections.

Aslam said the delay in the budget would be discussed, adding that the government was facing difficulties in preparing it.

He said the coalition government was not ready to provide relief to its partners. He claimed that Rs225 billion had been allocated in the budget for a single road project in Quetta.

Aslam said the Planning Minister had stated that there was no development budget available to him, adding that KP had been allocated Rs 2.2 billion for development, while Punjab had been given Rs 7-8 billion.

He said that when he asked about this, he was told that provincial development schemes were being cut, saying: “When a budget is prepared under pressure, this is what happens”.

Aslam further added that a key meeting of coalition partners in the Q bloc had been held, adding that he had been informed that the partners had expressed reservations about the budget.