CM Afridi approaches IHC for meeting with Imran ahead of K-P budget

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking permission to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for consultations on the province’s upcoming budget ahead of the next fiscal year.

Speaking to reporters outside the court along with K-P Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, the chief minister said the meeting was necessary as the provincial budget had already been prepared and required what he described as final input from the PTI founder.

He said the mandate given by the people of K-P was linked to Imran’s political vision, making consultation on the budget essential.

“We want to consult our leader Imran Khan before presenting the budget 2026–27 and present it according to his vision,” he said. He added that the people of K-P had voted for Imran and expected the provincial budget to align with his political and economic priorities.

Afridi said consultation with Imran before finalising the budget was necessary and reiterated that a court petition had been filed to secure a meeting. He also expressed concern over Imran’s health, claiming that “25 per cent of his eyesight has been affected”, adding that restrictions on his medical treatment and meetings were troubling.

He said that not allowing Imran to meet his family, lawyers, and party leaders amounted to injustice.

Read: Rs17.1tr budget proposed for FY27

Afridi said the province was facing what he called unfair treatment in the distribution of resources, alleging that K-P had been sidelined in federal development planning and the previous budget cycle.

The chief minister alleged that K-P was being deprived of its financial rights under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and other transfers, claiming that Rs12 billion had been deducted from the province’s funds.

He said the province had spent over Rs30 billion on policing in the fight against terrorism.

Afridi claimed the province was being “punished” for its political alignment and that the government was focusing on political retaliation rather than economic issues, adding that inflation, unemployment, and poverty were continuing to rise in the country.

The chief minister also criticised the broader economic situation, saying greater focus should be placed on improving conditions for low-income groups and addressing rising security challenges in the province. He alleged that terrorism had increased in K-P and said the federal government had not responded adequately.

He said industrial units were shutting down, and capital was moving abroad, while farmers were facing difficulties due to what he described as harmful government policies. Afridi further claimed that more than 45 per cent of the population had fallen below the poverty line.

Afrifi said the national debt had increased from Rs43 trillion to Rs97 trillion over recent years.

The chief minister further announced that his party would stage a protest outside Parliament during the upcoming budget session, expected to begin on June 10, and maintained that the provincial government had the authority to take its own decisions under the constitution.

Read More: Budget 2027 & fiscal illusion

Finance adviser for K-P said a meeting of the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) had initially been scheduled for May 21 but was later held on June 1, adding that expectations of clear decisions had not materialised.

He said the planning minister had “laid out the challenges”, suggesting there were funding constraints at the federal level. “He looked visibly concerned about the province’s issues, and it felt as though even the planning minister himself was distressed about the situation,” Aslam said.

He added that Pakistan and other countries generally raise capital through capital markets, noting that financing arrangements had been made through guarantees provided by an Asian bank.

Aslam said the delay in the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and the shifting of the budget process were a “concerning situation”.

He further claimed that the government was struggling to finalise the budget framework, saying there were disagreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that coalition partners were also not fully aligned.

Aslam further said that provinces had been asked in a previous meeting to generate an additional Rs430bn in tax revenue, adding that provincial governments had questioned the feasibility of such a target.

“We were told to collect property tax and share it with the federal government,” he said. He added that according to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data, Peshawar had generated one of the highest tax collections.

Aslam said the delay in the budget would be discussed, adding that the government was facing difficulties in preparing it.

He said the coalition government was not ready to provide relief to its partners. He claimed that Rs225 billion had been allocated in the budget for a single road project in Quetta.

Aslam said the planning minister had stated that there was no development budget available for him, adding that K-P had been allocated Rs2.2 billion for development, while Punjab had been given Rs7–8 billion.

He said that when he asked about this, he was told that provincial development schemes were being discontinued, saying, “When a budget is prepared under pressure, this is what happens”.

Aslam further added that a key meeting of coalition partners had been held in the Q Block, adding that he had been informed that the partners had expressed reservations over the budget.