KP CM Urges Zardari to Convene 10th NFC Meeting

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written to President Asif Ali Zardari, urging him to convene the long-overdue 10th National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting in response to the financial exclusion of the merged districts. This comes as part of a growing concern over the continued marginalization of 5.7 million residents in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), now merged into KP under the 25th Constitutional Amendment of 2018.

Gandapur’s letter follows a resolution passed by the KP Assembly in January, calling for a new NFC Award. The resolution emphasizes the need for the federal government and provinces to allocate an additional 3% share for the merged districts. At the time of the merger, a special commission led by the late Sartaj Aziz had decided that the federal government would allocate 3% from the federal divisible pool and Rs 100 billion annually for the development of these areas for a period of 10 years.

However, despite these promises, the province has received only Rs 132.1 billion from the federal government as part of the Accelerated Implementation Plan (AIP), far short of the Rs 700 billion that should have been disbursed by 2024. Moreover, the federal government and other provinces have failed to allocate the promised 3% share from the divisible pool for the merged districts. As a result, KP should have received Rs 360 billion by 2024, but has been denied its rightful financial share.

In his letter, CM Gandapur highlighted that the merger’s impact on KP’s federal divisible pool share, which failed to account for the population, geographical area, and poverty indicators of the merged districts, continues to harm the province. Funds have instead been retained by the federal government, undermining the financial rights of the people in the newly merged areas.

Gandapur criticized the extension of the outdated 7th NFC Award, which has remained unchanged since 2010, despite the merger of tribal areas. He argued that this extension violates Article 160 of the Constitution and breaches the commitments made under the 25th Constitutional Amendment. The chief minister called for urgent action to resolve this issue, warning that KP cannot accept the unconstitutional and unfair extension of the NFC Award.

Additionally, Gandapur revealed that he had previously decided to take the matter to the Supreme Court after the federal government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had not addressed the issue. However, he mentioned that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir had assured him of efforts to resolve the matter through negotiations with the federal government.

Read more: ATC Declares KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur a Proclaimed Offender

Alongside the financial concerns, the KP government is also grappling with deteriorating law and order in the merged districts and surrounding areas, particularly the southern belt, which includes Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan. The newly appointed provincial police chief, Zulfiqar Hameed, has raised concerns over the lack of modern weapons for the police force, with militants reportedly better equipped than law enforcement agencies. Militants are primarily using AK-47 assault rifles, the same weapons employed by the police, with night vision goggles being the most advanced equipment in certain nighttime attacks.

The issue of financial exclusion for merged districts remains a critical challenge for the provincial government, with CM Gandapur calling on President Zardari for intervention and support in addressing the longstanding issue.