CM warns of protest if K-P’s share in net hydel profit not released

Claims the Centre has held Rs35 billion of the province’s NHP share

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Tuesday announced a protest camp to be set up in Islamabad to force the federal government to release the province’s share from the net hydel profit (NHP).

Khattak was addressing queries from lawmakers in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly where he also announced that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) would be merged with K-P. He referred to a recently held meeting between Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the merger of Fata with K-P.



Khattak said that Fata would be merged with K-P before the 2018 general elections, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would complete its work to make sure that provincial assembly elections were held in Fata in 2018.

He, however, criticised the federal government for delaying the NHP payment to K-P and announced that he would set up a protest camp in Islamabad if the payment was delayed further.

“The federal government has not paid the previous fiscal year’s due of the NHP and the current year payments have also been delayed,” he said, adding, “The Centre has held Rs35 billion of our NHP share.”

The CM told the House that the province was facing financial crunch because of the delay in the payment of the NHP and resultantly the ongoing schemes of the K-P government were being affected.

“I have taken up the issue with the prime minister and the finance minister and has also discussed the issue at the Council of Common Interest (CCI) and with WAPDA. They committed to resolving the issue but their commitments were all lies,” he said, adding that the federal government could not use K-P’s share of the NHP.

“If they continue to delay the release of the money, I will set up a protest camp in Islamabad. K-P chief secretary is in Islamabad to take up the issue with the finance department,” he said

Opposition lawmakers assured him of their support in getting the rights of the province from the federal government.



Anisa Zeb Takhirkheli of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) asked the chief minister to inform the House of the reasons behind the delay in the payment.

“The government should tell the house why the delay has been caused. We would definitely support you in the protest but we want to know the actual position of the issue and the financial condition of the K-P government,” she said.

The CM also informed the House that all the four provinces had agreed to the AGN Kazi formula for the determination and calculation of the NHP.

“That would be an achievement as we are currently getting Rs18 billion annually from the NHP and after the application of the AGN Kazi formula the amount will reach Rs80 billion annually,” he said.

The K-P Assembly passed a total of four bills, including the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2017, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Mineral Sector Governance Bill 2017, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local government (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill 2017.

The House sent the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Control of Narcotic Substance Bill 2017 to the select committee which would be chaired by the minister of excise and taxation.