ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, has refuted the allegations made by Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi regarding the federal government showing prejudice against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, asserting that there is no truth behind the allegations at all.
In his communication with the press, Chaudhry pointed out that the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has no intention of denying any province of their constitutional or National Finance Commission (NFC) rights.
He said Afridi’s claim of bias against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is untrue and noted that under the 27th constitutional amendment, proposals were made regarding contributions from provinces to support the armed forces, which were withdrawn after provinces disagreed. Chaudhry also mentioned discussions about provincial participation in national debt repayments.
Regarding Afridi’s presence on the no-fly list, Chaudhry stated that it predates his tenure as Chief Minister and can be removed following standard procedures, noting that many names have been cleared from no-fly and exit control lists in the past.
Chaudhry further appreciated Afridi’s intent to speak for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but said most PTI leaders’ public statements do not contribute to public welfare.
Commenting on Afridi’s meeting with former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chaudhry clarified that meetings with prisoners are technical matters, not political issues, adding that Adiala Jail houses over 8,500 inmates, with family visits regulated according to established rules.
CM Afridi says KP treated like a “Stepmother” by federal govt
Last week, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi lashed out at the federal government, saying that the province is being treated like a stepmother.
Speaking to the media in Peshawar, CM Afridi accused the government of grievance financing and pointed out that no money was given from the annual allocation of PKR 1 billion for the merged tribal districts. Moreover, he stated that the federal government is indebted to the province for more than PKR 3 trillion.
Besides this, CM Afridi also pointed fingers at the lack of attention towards KP administration and policy priorities. After the tribal districts’ merger, he reckoned that KP’s rightful share should be PKR 400 billion.
He assured that regardless of the absence of the federal authorities’ care, the policies and laws that are being developed will eventually be the people’s favourites.
