Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Thursday demanded that the federal authorities permit a group of five to six Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) representatives to meet imprisoned party founder Imran Khan in order to finalize the provincial budget.
Gandapur cautioned that if the meeting request is denied, the KP government would not back the federal government on implementing the conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
His remarks came amid preparations by both federal and provincial governments for the upcoming fiscal year’s budgets. Last year, all four provinces — Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan — signed a National Fiscal Pact with the federal government, committing to a 19-point reform agenda as part of the $7 billion IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF). These included measures like withdrawing price support for commodities and enhancing provincial fiscal responsibility.
Gandapur, speaking to the media after a visit to Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, emphasized that true constitutional supremacy and democracy must be restored. He called for the “stolen mandate” of PTI to be returned in the broader interest of the country and demanded that the judiciary issue timely decisions on cases involving PTI leaders.
The KP chief minister stated that Imran Khan was open to dialogue for the country’s sake and must be released immediately. He also expressed confidence that Khan would soon be freed.
Gandapur described the upcoming KP budget as “the best,” claiming the province had met all its fiscal targets. However, he criticized the federal government’s attitude, saying the province would not engage in IMF-related negotiations unless there was a change in approach from Islamabad.
When asked about a Rs40 billion corruption case, Gandapur said former chief minister Mahmood Khan and his finance minister should be held accountable. He claimed the current provincial government had already recovered Rs20 billion and vowed to retrieve the remaining embezzled funds.
