CM Afridi slams ‘NFC snub’ to tribal districts
• Says KP being treated with bias; claims tribal district not financially integrated into provincial share
• Rallies Sindh supporters for Imran, says ‘every chowk is D-Chowk’
• Notes Jinnah Bagh gates locked again
HYDERABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Saturday that merged tribal districts are being denied their constitutional share of the federal budget, claiming that the central government that has “stolen” his party’s mandate is also violating the Constitution.
Speaking at a “Meet the Press” programme at the Hyderabad Press Club, CM Afridi criticised the current distribution of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.
He claimed the NFC, meant for four provinces, is really spread across “3.5 or 3.75 provinces” because the former merged districts are not financially integrated into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s share.
CM Afridi highlighted the denial of NFC shares to merged districts, stressing that KP supplies cheap electricity and oil, and claims a liability of Rs4,758 [billion] against the federal in these heads.
He disclosed that while the province’s share in the NFC exceeds Rs1,300bn, promised funds for the merged districts remain unpaid. The chief minister claimed that Rs100bn was promised initially, a figure that now stands at Rs300bn based on 3pc of the divisible pool.
CM Afridi noted that only Rs132bn was released while liabilities stood at Rs568bn. He regretted that the federal government had promised funds for TDPs but didn’t disburse them, compelling the KP government to use Rs7.5bn from its own kitty.
KP chief claimed the federal government was biased against his administration, noting his passport was on a stop list while other provincial chief’s use of Air Force jets. He also dismissed claims of a “political-terror nexus” in the province, citing a 15-point agenda by local political and religious parties that argues against military operations as a solution. He alleged that decisions were made behind “closed rooms”.
“When we learnt about it, we held jirgas from Chitral to Waziristan and told entire Pakistan that they are being resettled,” he said. “Our claim is proved correct today that our fears were correct... and now things have gone beyond their control.”
CM Afridi termed the federal administration a “fake government” and called on parliamentarians who benefited from the alleged “robbery” of PTI’s mandate to resign.
Rallies support for Imran
Separately, at a reception hosted by Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan vice president in Sindh Syed Zain Shah, KP CM Afridi aimed to rally support for jailed leader Imran Khan’s upcoming protest movement.
Addressing the crowd, he announced that a new call for street agitation would soon come from the PTI founder. “Every chowk is D-chowk,” CM Afridi said. “You should make preparations for it.”
CM Afridi expressed hope that the people of Sindh would respond to Khan’s call. He noted that while authorities had obstructed access to protest sites in the capital of Sindh, the party remained undeterred.
He noted the gates of Jinnah Bagh are locked again but affirmed PTI workers will still gather there. He also declared that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) under Asif Ali Zardari has abandoned the political legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, accusing the president of “occupying” Sindh.
“Asif Zardari has occupied Sindh,” CM Afridi said. “Asif Zardari’s politics has put an end to politics of Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.”
Regarding the PPP’s governance in Karachi, he said that the local population sees through the current administration.
“People of Sindh have seen their real faces, and people need change here and not their faces,” CM Afridi said. He added the people of the province want “azadi”.
Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2026
