PESHAWAR: Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, on Sunday, flayed the federal government for not paying the province’s Net Hydel Power Project, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s arrears of Rs2,000 billion, while the province has been facing security challenges.
While holding a press conference on the financial, administrative and law and order situation of the province, he said that when the government took over, there was no money in the treasury for the salaries of government employees, while the province was burdened with a debt of Rs 752 billion.
He said that to overcome the financial crisis, an endowment fund of Rs 30 billion has been launched, which will be increased to Rs 50 billion this year. Under the Net Hydel Power Project, five thousand megawatts of electricity will be generated by 2028.
The Chief Minister said that a Ramazan package of Rs20 billion is being distributed among the people, while the number of scholarships has been doubled. The Zakat fund has been increased from Rs12,000 to Rs25,000, and the dowry fund has also been doubled. Revenue is being increased by eliminating illegal mining.
He said that the law and order situation in the province has deteriorated. During the rule of Imran Khan, peace had been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but now, all institutions are busy eliminating a political party, due to which terrorism is increasing. He said that when it came to talks, it was ridiculed, while problems are solved through talks all over the world.
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The Chief Minister said that the police of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fighting terrorists, while this is not happening in Balochistan. Talking about the NFC award, he said that the area and population of the province have increased, so it should be revised. If this happens, the province will get an additional Rs 250 billion, which will make the police stronger.
He said that the province should be given its rights anthat d the people should not be forced to protest. He said that the province is fighting a war against terrorism, but the necessary weapons are not being provided to the forces.
The Chief Minister said that under the Net Hydel Power Project, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s arrears of Rs 2,000 billion are due to the federal government but have not been paid yet.
He said that the situation today is similar to 2009 and 2010, when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst victim of terrorism. Even then, the same people were in the federal government as they are there today.
He clarified that the province is struggling with the financial crisis and security challenges, and if the federal government does not cooperate, then there will be protests for the rights of the province.
