PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Monday accused the federal government of “depriving” his province of Rs109 billion funds in the annual budget and insisted that the cut in the province’s funding is unconstitutional and illegal.

In a statement here, Mr Hussain said the KP government had failed to defend the rights of the residents and instead facilitated the federal government in reducing the province’s budgetary share.

He alleged that those portraying themselves as opponents of the federal government had practically surrendered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s financial, constitutional and political rights before the Centre.

“This is yet another proof of who controls their political direction,” he said.

The ANP leader said his party had consistently maintained that the priorities of the ruling authorities didn’t align with the interests of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Referring to the meeting of the National Economic Council, he welcomed Balochistan’s stance in defending its share but questioned why the KP government had failed to present and defend its case.

Mr Hussain said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was already passing through difficult circumstances due to ongoing militancy and asked what message was being conveyed by reducing the province’s budget in such conditions.

He said the province had witnessed growing deprivation due to what he described as 13 years of poor governance.

The ANP leader also alleged that even when the party was in power at the Centre, KP’s rights continued to be neglected.

He claimed that the provincial government had effectively stepped back from the gains achieved under the 18th Constitutional Amendment and provincial autonomy.

Criticising the federal budget, Mr Hussain termed it “anti-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” and said the province and its people had been ignored.

He said KP continued to face challenges including insecurity, economic hardship, governance issues and developmental backwardness, but no special package, relief measures or emergency initiatives had been proposed for the province despite it being among the worst affected by terrorism.

Mr Hussain said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had paid the price of past state policies in the form of terrorism, displacement, loss of lives and economic damage and argued that the province, being on the frontline of the fight against militancy, deserved focused support for recovery and development.

He alleged that both the federal and provincial governments were on the same page regarding the distribution of KP’s resources, accusing one of depriving the province of its rights while the other remained a silent facilitator.

Mr Hussain warned that such policies would deepen deprivation in the province and would not lead to positive outcomes.

He said that the ANP would continue its struggle for the protection of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s resources, financial autonomy, constitutional rights and public interests.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026