CM says Centre unfair towards KP Bureau Report

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday accused the federal government of adopting an unfair attitude towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and vowed not to compromise on legitimate rights of the province.

He expressed his concerns during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif through video link from Peshawar about the Climate Change Council arranged in Islamabad.

The chief minister made it clear that he would go all-out to ensure protection of KP resources and rights of its people. He said the federal government wanted to take control of the carbon credit of the province, which is the right and asset of the province. “We cannot allow anyone else to take it over,” said Gandapur.

The chief minister maintained that 45 percent of the country’s forests were in the KP and similarly 50 percent of the country’s total carbon credit was generated by this province, which was the right of people of KP. He said they would never let anyone else usurp it.

Gandapur said that 80 percent of the forests in KP were under private ownership, so it was his responsibility to ensure the protection of rights of his people. “If the federal government thinks that by obstructing the appointment of new chief secretary to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa we will give up our constitutional rights, then it is just its delusion,” he added.

The chief minister asked the Federation to pay the arrears to KP as early as possible. He expressed his concerns over raids being conducted in KP citing electricity theft issues and FIRs against consumers. He added that it would be better for the federal government officials to sit with them and discuss the matter. “We want to know clearly how much the province’s deficit is in terms of electricity. We want to give relief to our people through deduction from the arrears the Federation owes to us. But in return, load-shedding in the province and injustice to the people should be stopped once and for all,” he remarked.

Gandapur said the federal government receives a tax worth Rs300 billion per annum on tobacco being produced in the province. “This tax is also the right of the province and KP should have the right to receive this. However, we will definitely provide the legitimate share of the Federation, but we cannot let them usurp the money of people this way,” he stated.

The chief minister said they should be taken into confidence in all these matters and the way forward must be decided through mutual discussion on issues of constitutional rights of the province and one-sided orders should not be imposed on them.