Peshawar: During a heated budget session on Wednesday, opposition members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly pressed the provincial government to fulfill its constitutional duty of submitting biannual reports on the implementation status of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. This demand, reiterated by opposition members, highlighted the government’s ongoing failure to present these reports as promised during the budget presentation for the fiscal year 2023–24.
Ahmad Kundi of the Pakistan Peoples Party emphasized that under Article 163(A) of the Constitution, both federal and provincial finance ministers are mandated to monitor and report on the NFC Award’s implementation to their respective assemblies twice a year. “This has to happen twice a year under the Constitution, but we haven’t seen this for years,” he stated, expressing frustration over the prolonged negligence.
In a bid to hold the government accountable, Kundi offered to withdraw his cut motion if the provincial administration committed to providing a timeline for the submission of these reports. However, Finance Minister Aftab Alam Afridi requested a delay in the discussion, suggesting that the government would be better positioned to respond at a later time.
The session, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, also saw opposition members voicing grievances over accommodation issues at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. They accused the administration of prioritizing bureaucrats and their families over lawmakers for room bookings. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz member Sobia Shahid urged the Speaker to amend rules to extend the duration of stays for legislators, criticizing the current three-day limit.
Further criticisms arose concerning the entitlement of bureaucrats to official vehicles and fuel allowances. Adnan Khan of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl questioned the legitimacy of these entitlements, while the Finance Minister clarified that ministers’ monthly fuel allowance had been reduced from 600 to 390 liters. He also asserted that MPAs were given priority for stays at KP House.
The opposition also highlighted the inequitable distribution of natural gas, alleging that areas producing the resource were denied connections, with gas instead being diverted to Punjab. Additionally, they criticized the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, labeling it a “white elephant” due to its heavy subsidies. They lamented the allocation of a Rs3 billion subsidy for BRT in the 2024–25 fiscal year, despite the Finance Minister’s assurance that the annual subsidy had been halved from Rs6.7 billion and that the project would eventually become self-sustainable.
Adnan Khan expressed frustration over the absence of relevant ministers and administrative secretaries during the session, questioning the government’s commitment to resolving public issues. In response, Speaker Swati directed secretaries to ensure their presence in future sittings, or at least send additional secretaries if they were preoccupied with official duties.
The session concluded with Speaker Swati adjourning the assembly until 2 PM the following day.