PESHAWAR : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) spokesperson Malik Adeel Iqbal stated that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur consulted all provincial lawmakers before approving the budget, marking what he called “perhaps the first time” all assembly members’ suggestions were incorporated.
Speaking on Pakhtun Digital Podcast, Iqbal clarified that neither PTI Chairman Imran Khan nor Secretary-General Omar Ayub issued any formal directive to halt the budget process. “If Imran Khan had ordered the assembly’s dissolution, the budget would have automatically lapsed,” he explained.
The spokesperson dismissed opposition claims of betrayal, stating, “Those who passed the budget are called traitors, and those who didn’t are criticized too – this is pure confusion.” He warned that rejecting the budget would have triggered a constitutional crisis, potentially leading to the government’s collapse, which the opposition allegedly desired.
Iqbal emphasized the approval was a strategic move to ensure political stability, not an act of defiance. “Avoiding the budget would have shown no-confidence in our own government, causing irreparable damage,” he added.
