PTI chief's order stalls K-P budget

PESHAWAR:

A directive from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Patron-in-Chief not to approve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) budget without prior consultation with him has become a serious constitutional and administrative challenge for the provincial government. The government now finds itself caught between the leader's directive and constitutional obligations.

According to the schedule, the K-P budget must be approved by June 24. Failure to do so before the end of the current fiscal year could empower the Governor to ask the Chief Minister to seek a vote of confidence, or even advise the President to impose economic emergency under Article 234 of the Constitution.

The government has held multiple sessions with constitutional experts to resolve the impasse, but no breakthrough has been achieved so far.

The PTI Patron-in-Chief had expressed a desire to meet with K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Finance Advisor Muzzammil Aslam, and other economic experts regarding the budget.

However, prison authorities allowed him to meet only the chief minister. In response, the PTI leader issued strict instructions: no budget approval without full consultation with economic advisors.

Although the budget has been presented in the K-P Assembly, the party leadership has yet to be consulted.

Chief Minister Gandapur has reiterated his stance that the budget will not be passed without explicit approval from the party chief.

As debate on the budget continues, approval of departmental demands for grants is scheduled to begin today.

According to parliamentary procedures, approving these demands effectively means passing the budget. Meanwhile, the government has again consulted legal experts.

Constitutional experts warn that if the budget is not passed by June 30, it would be considered a failure of the government.

Under such circumstances, the Governor can invoke Article 234 and advise the President to impose economic emergency, citing both financial and constitutional crises.

Additionally, the Governor may direct the Chief Minister to seek a vote of confidence, and the President could refer the matter to the National Assembly.

Law Minister Aftab Alam told The Express Tribune that the government is trying its best to ensure timely budget approval in accordance with the schedule. However, he emphasized that the PTI leader's directive stands: no approval without prior consultation.

He warned that if a crisis emerges, the federal government would bear responsibility for denying access to the party leadership.

The Provincial Assembly Secretariat, when contacted, stated that it is following the approved schedule, and it is the government's responsibility to ensure the budget's timely passage.