PESHAWAR: Opposing the proposed new Electricity Policy 2021, the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) has termed it as against the interest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and completely unconstitutional. It warned that they would move the court as well as launch an agitation movement, if the policy was implemented without consent of the province.
Speaking at a news conference here at Press Club on Monday, QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Khan Sherpao said the provincial government has presented a huge deficit budget with a shortfall of Rs140 billion in the budget. He called the next fiscal budget a 'jugular of words', as the targets have been set or projected for the next fiscal year, are unrealistic and unachievable.
The QWP leader said that KP was not taken on board regarding the proposed new electricity policy 2021, which was a completely unconditional and illegitimate move and against the interest of KP people and provincial rights. He added the policy will discourage Hydel projects as the transmission line costs have been added to cost of project, which will make the project more expensive, so it would suffer KP hydel potentials.
Sikandar Sherpao said that, under the proposed new electricity policy, the federal government was given the right to initiate any project without consent of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which he termed a violation of the constitution and was tantamount to usurp rights of people of the province.
The party's provincial senior vice president, Tariq Khan, secretary information Asad Afridi, secretary social media Nasreen Khattak, Deputy Secretary General Secretary Dr Farooq Afzal, secretary literary and culture Dr Alam and provincial leader Youth Wing, Arshad Afridi were also present during the press conference.
Commenting on the provincial fiscal budget 2021-22, the QWP leader termed the government's revenue collection targets totally unrealistic and unachievable.
Quoting the budget documents, Sikandar Sherpao said the shortfall between the projected and actual figures was more than Rs207 billion. He said that it amounted to a 23 percent shortfall.
The QWP leader said the budget deficit stood at Rs140 billion. "Last year when the budget was presented, I had pointed out that the projected deficit of Rs90 billion was not the total deficit, and the actual deficit will be much higher," he recalled. He added that the same was the case with the provincial own receipts as the targets could not be achieved in the last budget, showing a shortfall of over Rs2 billion.
He expressed pessimism over the targets set by the government in the budget and said that the provincial own receipts could not be achieved. He added the province would not receive the straight transfer of Rs26.5 billion.
Talking about the Net Hydel Project (NHP) profit, Junior Sherpao criticized that the KP did not receive a single penny in the outgoing fiscal year, so the present provincial government failed in taking up the case with the centre.
Commenting on the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, Sikandar Sherpao said the provincial government has miserably failed in taking up KP case with the centre, which was not a good tendency because of which provincial debts are escalating.
The QWP leader said the KP is cash trapped province, saying that according to white paper, KP did not receive a single penny on federal excise duty during the outgoing fiscal year. He said the amount of oil and gas royalty is merely reflected in WP, but KP will get benefit when the projected amounts were transferred to the province as per commitment. He said the step-motherly attitude was unjust with people of the province.
Criticising the government for failure to get 3 percent share under NFC Award for the NMDs, Junior Sherpao called for taking administrative measures to ensure service delivery to people of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
He was astonished over differences of funds allocations for pays, pensions and allowances for settled and NMDs. He added only emphasizing the Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan provinces for giving due share to NMDs and not demanding for funds contribution from the centre, was unfair and unjust to people of tribal regions. About the phase-out of provincial professional tax, he said they had earlier opposed the imposition of tax which was an unconstitutional step and we opposed it in every forum. He criticised the government for allocation of scanty amounts for pay, pensions and allowances of government employees, and fully supported the protest of the government employees in this regard.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021