After being denied access to meet incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly criticized the federal government. He signaled that his administration would not cooperate with the Centre on the upcoming International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
“I am telling you [Centre] that the next matter yet to be decided with IMF,” Gandapur stated to journalists outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, flanked by Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub and PTI Senator Shibli Faraz.
He emphasized, “We will make decisions according to our province’s situation,” adding that the Centre should not lecture the PTI on national interests, as the former ruling party was not solely responsible.
Several PTI leaders, including CM Gandapur, Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Muzamil Aslam, and Taimur Jhagra, were not permitted to meet ex-PM Khan at the jail today. Gandapur confirmed that they had fulfilled all court-defined formalities for the meeting. Despite this, he stated that jail authorities prevented their meeting, citing security reasons.
The outspoken Chief Minister asserted that if not today, they would eventually manage to meet Khan, but creating obstacles to these meetings was completely unacceptable. He further alleged that the former ruling party was continuously being targeted by the rulers through fabricated FIRs, the imprisonment of its entire leadership, and the use of force during party protests.
Calling these actions a violation of the Constitution and law, Gandapur warned that their response would be the same when it came to the next IMF program. The KP CM explicitly announced that they would not attend any finance-related meetings.
KP Budget Under Scrutiny: Gandapur Defends, Khan Expresses Reservations
Responding to criticism of the KP budget, Gandapur stated that its passage was to avoid a constitutional crisis and that a “conspiracy has failed.” He acknowledged that the patron-in-chief has the right to provide input before the budget is finalized.
His statement followed remarks by PTI founder’s sister, Aleema Khan, who termed the passing of the KP budget without the former premier’s approval as “minus Imran Khan” and criticized the Gandapur administration. The Chief Minister clarified that he has always made every effort to implement Khan’s directives and reiterated that he is only answerable to the PTI founder.
However, the passing of the budget for the Fiscal Year 2025-26 by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government continues to face complications. Sources reported in The News that the former prime minister has now opposed the province’s surplus budget under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions. The sources revealed that the party’s patron-in-chief was displeased with the inclusion of Rs157 billion in surplus in the KP budget as per IMF demands.
Muhammad Ali Saif, Adviser to the KP CM on Information, confirmed that the former PM had raised concerns regarding the surplus budget, questioning why the federal government would provide funds if the province had a surplus. He added that Khan was not angry but desired more funds to be allocated to education, health, and the environment.
