K-P urges Centre for swift payment of dues

CM Azam says federal govt owes province billions under various heads

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan expressed his unwavering commitment to overcoming the prevailing financial crisis in the province. He emphasized that the provincial government is making extensive efforts to address the situation effectively. Chief Minister Khan highlighted that K-P is currently facing a significant financial burden, with substantial outstanding dues owed by the federal government through various federal transfers.

These dues amount to billions of rupees, further complicating the financial challenges faced by the province. In light of this, the provincial government is actively engaging with the federal authorities to resolve these outstanding financial obligations. The CM observed that the erstwhile Fata had been merged into K-P but the share of newly merged districts in NFC was never ever provided. “In order to resolve the financial issues of the province, a number of letters have been sent to the prime minister and federal finance minister,” he shared. He said that he had requested the political leaders in a joint session the other day for their cooperation to get the legitimate rights of the province, adding that he, along with other political leaders met prime minister during his recent visit to Peshawar and briefed him in detail about the financial constraints of the province.

Azam Khan made it clear that it was the first priority of the caretaker provincial government to steer the province out of current financial issues, adding that all possible efforts would be made for it. He said if there had been financial irregularities in the past, it is the responsibility of NAB and other relevant institutions to investigate it. He was talking to reporters during his visit to Charsadda where he inaugurated the newly established stateof-the-art oxygen generation plant at Women and Children Hospital Rajar. The plant having the production capacity of 500 liters per minute has been established at a cost of Rs105 million with the financial support of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the oxygen plant, the chief minister said the establishment of the plant was really a great achievement which will not only ensure uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen to women and children hospital Rajjar but would also be helpful to meet the requirement of oxygen at other hospitals of Charsadda and adjacent districts. He said that the plant can also become an important source of revenue generation for the hospital by providing additional oxygen to the private sector hospitals.