Salman Akram Raja says KP budget approval was essential to save provincial govt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has claimed that the federal government's request for funds from the province was linked to allowing a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan.

He said a decision on whether the province would release the requested amount to the federal government would be made at a later stage.

Speaking to the media on Adiala Road, Raja remarked that the prevailing system of coercion was unlikely to come to an end anytime soon.

He clarified that a meeting between PTI representatives and the Finance Minister focused solely on issues relating to the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

According to Raja, taxes were being imposed in FATA in violation of previous agreements, and no other matters were discussed during the meeting with the Finance Minister.

He stated that it was a practical necessity for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to pass its budget, arguing that failure to do so would have rendered the province unable to function and effectively brought the provincial government to an end.

Raja further explained that the federal government was seeking financial contributions from the provinces to meet interest payments on its outstanding loans.

He said provincial governments were being asked to allocate funds from their own budgets to assist the federation in meeting these obligations.