PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to present the provincial budget for 2018-19. The party had earlier decided against presenting the budget.
KP Chief Minister’s Spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai said on Tuesday that the provincial government would present the budget and for this purpose, an assembly session would be held on May 14. He said that the KP government would also hold talks with the opposition until the above-mentioned date. “Our goal is to pass the budget unanimously,” Yousafzai added.
According to KP Finance Department, a summary regarding the session had already been forwarded to the chief minister (CM) from the law department for approval. A final decision is yet to be reached.
A senior finance department official said that they have not yet received any written document in this connection. “We have not received any written orders regarding the cancellation of the budget or the May 14 session,” he said.
In the absence of an official notification, the finance department was facing confusion due to lack of communication in this regard. Another official said, “We suspended our preparations over a week ago when the government decided against unveiling the provincial budget.” He also said that his department had not received any news regarding resuming preparations for the budget.
KP CM Pervez Khattak had told reporters on April 15 that the provincial government would not present the budget due to it being “unconstitutional”. He said unveiling the budget was the right of the next government.
Khattak’s stance was also supported by PTI chief Imran Khan. According to insiders, the party decided not to present the budget since it feared losing its majority in the KP Assembly after the party issued show-cause notices to 18 of its lawmakers for allegedly selling their votes in the recent Senate polls.
