PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party has rejected the provincial government’s claim of presenting a surplus budget, saying it is a deficit budget that will burden people and cause price hike.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao said that opposition parties would agitate if government did not materialise its plan for bringing positive change in the life of people within the timeframe.

He said that despite making tall claims, the ruling PTI used traditional deceitful methods in the budget and tried to dodge people with jugglery of words. He said that government showed Rs5 billion loans that meant that the figures of budget were incorrect.

Flanked by QWP provincial information secretary Tariq Khan and culture secretary Dr Alam Khan, Mr Sherpao said that government failed to get due share of the province in the net hydel profit so it would be unable to initiate any new uplift scheme. He said that PTI was in power both in the province and the centre and its leadership was bound to fulfil its commitment by releasing the pending funds and net hydel profit.

He said that government was unable to run its affairs without getting loans. He said that performance of the provincial government would not be different than that of the previous one wherein maximum of the funds were lapsed.

The QWP leader said that government was dependent on foreign loans, mainly on Asian Development Bank. He said that the bank would also not grant more loans to the government if ongoing schemes were not completed as per agreements.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2018