ANP rejects KP budget 2026-27; terms it magic show of words

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jun, 2026) Awami National Party Provincial President Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday rejected the provincial budget and termed it merely a manipulation of words.

In a statement issued by the party, Provincial President Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the provincial budget for the upcoming fiscal year is merely a manipulation of words and a magic show of figures.

He alleged the budget was a systematic conspiracy to push Khyber Pakhtunkhwa toward chaos and damage.

He stated that despite being in power for thirteen years, the PTI government is still misleading the public. According to him, while the government claims a deficit of 48 billion rupees, it is showing expenditures of 52.8 billion rupees in the name of non-existent local governments. He said the budget is an attempt to deceive the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He further said that 1,201 new development projects have been included in the budget, but hundreds of these projects have been allocated only a few thousand rupees, and some have not even been allocated a single rupee.

These are not genuine development projects but rather a plan to buy the loyalty of dissatisfied members of the provincial assembly. According to him, the government has gambled with the future of the entire province in the name of development.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that 4.5 million children are still out of school, yet only 5 billion rupees have been allocated for them. He pointed out that nearly three times more money has been allocated for roads than for the entire education development sector. He claimed that the government has no interest in human development, education, the future of youth, or healthcare.

The bus rapid transit Peshawar system continues to operate on billions of rupees in subsidies, while the expenses of the MTI hospitals continue to rise.

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He alleged that basic healthcare projects across the province are not receiving budget allocations. He added that thousands of projects may take up to 30 years to complete, describing this as a plan to pass debt and financial crises on to future generations.

He further stated that despite thirteen years of governance, the province's own revenue generation remains negligible, forcing the provincial government to continue depending on the Federal government for financial support. He claimed that 92 percent of the current budget relies on federal funds.

According to him, promises of autonomy, change, and economic revolution were based on falsehoods, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become financially weaker and more dependent on the federation.

He said that this is not a budget for public welfare, economic development, or institutional reforms, but rather an unsuccessful attempt to hide political expediency and government failures.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain announced that the Awami National Party completely rejects the provincial budget for the next fiscal year. He accused the government of deliberately pushing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa toward economic, educational, and administrative decline.

He urged the provincial government to present the facts instead of misleading the public, stop unnecessary political maneuvering for personal interests, and spend provincial resources on genuine development, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.

He concluded by saying that history will remember this budget as a serious conspiracy against the future of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.