Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi laid out a lengthy list of complaints against the federal government during a meeting with Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and a federal negotiating team in Peshawar on Monday, warning that continued neglect of the province’s rights would make it difficult for KP to participate in upcoming National Economic Council sessions.

CM Afridi said a completed bus terminal in the province was being held up by a pending NOC from the National Highway Authority, that Chinese engineers had not been granted NOCs to begin work on a completed dam project in Swat, and that KP, — which produces more than 500 MMCFD of gas — was being denied its rightful share while consuming only 150 MMCFD.

He said the merged districts’ share in the NFC Award had been withheld unconstitutionally for eight years, and that development funds under the Annual Improvement Programme (AIP) had been cut from Rs37 billion to Rs27 billion. The AIP budget for merged districts had similarly been reduced from Rs66 billion to Rs56 billion.

CM Afridi also said that if Punjab would not supply wheat to KP despite constitutional obligations under Articles 151 and 158, those articles should simply be removed from the constitution.

The chief minister stressed that budget decisions of significance required prior consultation with and approval from incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, adding that all political parties consult their leadership before major decisions — a point directed at the federal team amid ongoing negotiations over KP’s participation in national forums.

Ahsan Iqbal, after hearing out the province’s grievances, gave an assurance that the bus terminal NOC would be issued within 24 hours and that all outstanding concerns would be raised with the prime minister and relevant institutions.