ISLAMABAD: The caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Muhammad Azam Khan, has placed nearly a dozen key demands before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif including release of pending amount of Rs 49.5 billion of Net Hydel Profit (NHP), well-informed sources told Business Recorder.
There were reports that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing a challenge to arrange funds to pay salaries to its employees at Eidul Fitr.
Hamayat Ullah Khan, Energy Advisor to former Chief Minister, Mehmood Khan is the head of Energy Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advising on energy related matters to the caretaker Chief Minister.
KP chief minister takes up financial issues with federal govt
According sources, caretaker KP Chief Minister has placed following ten demands before Prime Minister, which are now on the table of top bosses of concerned Ministries for action and early response: (i) levy Federal Excise Duty on oil @ 5 per cent of valorem in light of Article 161 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Pakistan; (ii) increase Federal Excise Duty on gas from 10 to Rs 25 per MMBTU and link the rate to Consumer Price Index (CPI); (iii) schedule an urgent meeting of CCI and decide the matter of windfall levy on oil related to Tal Block; (iv) transfer windfall levy on oil share collected from Baratai and Togh Blocks to Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without further delay; (v) transfer 50 per cent of Government Holding Private Limited (GHCL) share in KP Block to KP Holding Company in the light of Article 172(3); (vi) allocate 20 per cent Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) produced by KP by GHPL and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) to KP-OGDCL on G2G basis; (vii) establish Pakistan Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority with representation recommended by the Provincial Government; (viii) Facilitate GoKP in wheeling of electric power to industrial sector of KP on the Pehure Model; (ix) Reallocate 100-MMCFD gas from power to industrial sector. Deputy Chairman Planning Commission may be directed to place the matter of Net Hydel Profit (NHP) in the next CCI meeting; (x) release the pending payment of NHP amounting to Rs 49.5 billion; and (xi) Flood Relief Assistance.
The sources said, issue of NHP between Federal Government/ Wapda has many complications as neither Wapda nor Power Division are ready to pay NHP arrears as per the Kazi Committee formula.
Former Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Jahanzeb Khan, who is a close relative of former Secretary to former PM, Azam Khan, is now Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Effective Governance, issued minutes of NHP meeting after two years. Power Division, sources said, is of the view that if Kazi formula is implemented, then it has to pay Rs 500 billion to KP per annum, which will sink the entire power sector.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed Finance Minister and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar to look into the matter and devise a way forward on the issue raised by the caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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