Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said on Tuesday that the federal government’s demand for funds from the province has been made conditional upon a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to the media in Rawalpindi, Raja said that a final decision would be taken later on whether the amount would be paid to the federal government. He that the failure to pass the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget would have amounted to the end of the provincial government. "The system of coercion in the country did not appear to be withdrawing in haste," said Raja.
KP-centre talks limited to FATA tax disputes, no budget discussion
He said that meetings between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials and the federal finance minister were limited to matters concerning taxes imposed in contradiction to agreements related to the former FATA regions, and no discussion took place on the budget or any other subject.
The PTI leader maintained that the federal government was seeking funds from the provinces in order to service interest payments on international loans, and that provinces would have to reduce their expenditures to provide the required sums to the federation.
