Incoming K-P CM faces slew of challenges

The province’s economy and law and order situation are both in tatters

PESHAWAR:

While there is no timeline on when the post-general election chaos vis-a-vis delayed results and public outcry on rigging will subside, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates are all set to form their government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

In the 145-member K-P Assembly, PTI backed independent candidates have 91 seats, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) has 9, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has 9, Pakistan People’s Party has 5, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) has 2, and Awami National Party has 1 seat.

The PTI’s clear and comfortable majority has led it to announce that its Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Dera Ismail Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, will serve the province as Chief Minister. Be that as it may, Gandapur, a party stalwart, will lead a province riddled with issues. One such issue is the provincial economy.

As per data provided by the outgoing caretaker government of the province, the federation owes the province Rs 3,000 billion as of October 2023. A breakdown of this massive number shows that about Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 is owed by the federal government in support of the net hydel profit of electricity, whereas the remainder Rs 1,000 billion is owed for the special package for merged districts.

Commenting on the financial health of the province, caretaker Finance Minister, Ahmad Rasool Bangash, told the Express Tribune that for K-P’s financial challenges to decline it would need the full support of the government at the centre. “For instance during the monsoon flooding of 2021, the federal government promised flood relief funds to the tune of Rs 10 billion for the province. This amount was never received. Similarly, the province has been deprived of its electricity, gas, and oil royalty for many years now,” explained Bangash.

Read K-P Assembly sworn in amid chaos

“Moreover, since the 25th amendment to the constitution, former federally administered tribal areas (FATA) have been merged into K-P but the Rs 100 billion annual package that was announced at the time of the merger has still not been paid by the federal government,” he added.

Nonetheless, K-P’s Chief Ministerial nominee, Gandapur, seems to be aware of the problems he will inherit with the office. In a recent conversation with journalists, Gandapur outlined that his first priority was to restore the health-card in the province, ensure employment opportunities for the youth, and improve the law and order situation of the province.

However, with regards to the health-card, Bangash, the caretaker Finance Minister, informed the Express Tribune that the province owed Rs 21.60 billion in funding for the health-card. As far as the law and order situation is concerned, according to information received by the provincial Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) terrorism incidents have gradually increased in the province - for instance, 261 incidents were reported in 2021, 298 in 2022, and a significant 631 in 2023

.Given the gravity of the issues, Sardar Hussain Babak, former parliamentary leader of the Awami National Party in the K-P Assembly feels that the incoming Chief Minister will not find any success in the province. “A party which has not done anything for the province since 2013, will not do much to change the economic or law and order situation this time around,” remarked Babak while talking to the Express Tribune.