Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday reaffirmed his support for the provincial government on all matters relating to the province’s rights and interests, saying political consensus on provincial issues would be built before taking up the matters with the federal government.
Addressing a grand jirga convened by the provincial government at the Chief Minister’s House against the federal government’s tax imposition in the erstwhile FATA and PATA, the Governor said all political stakeholders must remain united to safeguard the constitutional, financial and economic rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The jirga was attended by Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Jamaat-e-Islami, and representatives of the business community.
Governor Kundi welcomed the holding of the all-parties gathering on the tax issue and thanked the provincial government for bringing together political parties on a common platform.
He said politics should not overshadow the province’s larger interests, adding that unity and a joint strategy were essential for securing KP’s legitimate rights.
Referring to previous instances of political consensus on issues such as CNG and wheat, the Governor said the government and opposition were once again on the same page to protect the province’s constitutional, financial and economic interests. He said representatives of all political parties had adopted a unanimous stance on provincial issues and would present a strong case before the federation.
Governor Kundi also said the federal government’s commitment to provide Rs100 billion annually for the development of the erstwhile FATA had yet to be fulfilled.
He further demanded that traders from the merged tribal districts be provided the same facilities and business incentives as those available to traders in Lahore and other major cities.