Finance minister assures KP CM Afridi of ‘full support’ in resolving all ‘legitimate issues’

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday assured his “full support” to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for the “resolution of all legitimate issues”, according to the finance ministry.

The meeting comes a day after President Asif Ali Zardari chaired a meeting in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the chief ministers of all provinces, including Afridi.

His presence was considered significant, as he usually does not attend such meetings due to the political differences of his party, the PTI, with the ruling alliance.

In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, the finance ministry said that Aurangzeb held a meeting with CM Afridi at the Finance Division

“The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. The chief minister apprised the finance minister of various economic and financial issues being faced by the province,” it said.

It stated that Aurangzeb assured CM Afridi of “his full support for the resolution of all legitimate issues”, adding that he also reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to facilitating provincial governments in addressing their financial challenges.

Since becoming the provincial chief executive in October last year, Afridi has repeatedly accused the federal government of stalling the release of funds allocated for KP, particularly those committed for the merged districts under the National Finance Commission (NFC).

Last week, the provincial government had requested the Centre to revise the NFC re­so­urce distribution formula and, if needed, to institute discretionary grants for all provinces pending the emergence of a consensus on formula updates.

In his February meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he also emphasised the need for cooperation between the Centre and the KP government while discussing provinces’ due shares.

In January, CM Afridi had also written a letter to PM Shehbaz over what he dubbed the Centre’s “persistent failure” to release “constitutionally guaranteed” funds, demanding the “full and unconditional” release of all outstanding federal dues.