KP CM announces protest against IMF-dictated budget in front of Parliament

ISLAMABAD – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday announced that his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would stage a sit-in protest outside Parliament on June 10 in a bid to increase political pressure on the ruling alliance during the federal budget session.

The federal government is expected to present the federal budget for the financial year 2026-27 before both houses of Parliament on the same day.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Advisor to the Chief Minister for Finance Muzzammil Aslam, the provincial chief executive said all PTI MPs and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) MPs would participate in the “grand” rally.

He described the demonstration as a protest against what he called an “anti-poor, IMF-dictated, pro-rich” budget and to secure the rights of jailed former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan.

At the same time, he criticized his party’s information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, for allegedly undermining his call for protests on June 10. The CM said he was independent enough to take decisions regarding the elected KP government. He warned that Akram should participate in the protest, if he could, but should not become a “tool” in someone else’s hands.

A day earlier, the PTI information secretary had said in a television program that no official party-level decision had been communicated to hold a sit-in protest outside Parliament on Budget Day. He taunted Afridi by saying “some friends had made such announcements in the past”, which were later denied by the party. He said the PTI chief whip, parliamentary leader in the National Assembly and the party’s president and general secretary had not conveyed to anyone in the House that they had planned such a protest.

Ruling out the possibility of a forward bloc of PTI MLAs in the KP Assembly, Afridi said all members of the House supported party leader Khan’s decision to appoint him as chief minister and anyone who did not think so had no place in the PTI. “I am not afraid of an advanced block or of blackmail,” he said. He also sharply criticized the federal government’s economic policies and alleged that it was giving “stepmotherly treatment” to KP.

He said the protest would oppose the federal budget and demand fair treatment for the province. He stressed that the province’s rightful share of resources, especially for militancy-affected areas, must be guaranteed.

The chief minister also confirmed that he had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking judicial intervention to facilitate a meeting with incarcerated former prime minister Khan.

He said consultations with the PTI founder were necessary for deliberations on the next provincial budget and other administrative matters.

Afridi expressed hope that the IHC would order the removal of what he described as “illegal restrictions” on meetings with Khan.

He also expressed concerns over the deteriorating security situation in KP, saying terrorist incidents had increased while accusing the federal government of unfair treatment in counter-terrorism and development allocations.

Speaking on the occasion, Muzzammil Aslam said Khan had earlier directed that he should be consulted before the preparation of every budget.

Due to the ban on meeting the jailed politician, he added, Khan had not yet been consulted on the next budget, stressing that his approval was essential for the continuity of the policy.

On the other hand, some PTI MPs have demanded that the KP Assembly not approve the budget for the next fiscal year in protest if the federal government does not lift an unofficial ban on meetings with the party chief.

Meanwhile, KP CM Sohail Afridi on Wednesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

Afridi filed the petition with the IHC through a special power of attorney, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General and named the Federal and Punjab Home Secretaries, Inspector General of Police Punjab and Superintendent of Adiala Prison as respondents in the petition.

The petition, filed by advocate Syed Ali Bukhari, requested the court that the KP chief minister be allowed to meet the PTI founder before the provincial budget for the next fiscal year.

He argued in the petition that consultation with Imran Khan is essential for cabinet deliberations and governance matters as he remains the leading figure of the party.

The petition further stated that Imran Khan is currently imprisoned in Adiala Central Jail, Rawalpindi, and prior requests for a meeting have already been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Punjab Home Department.

He maintained that it was legally and morally necessary to seek advice from the party boss-in-chief on sensitive issues of governance and government formation.

Speaking to IHC reporters alongside KP financial advisor Muzammil Aslam, the KP CM said a meeting with the PTI founder was essential as the provincial budget had been prepared and required his final approval. He said the people of KP had given their mandate to the PTI founder, adding that consultation with him on the budget was necessary.

He also said the province was being deprived of its share of resources and alleged that KP was being punished for supporting the PTI founder. He criticized the federal government’s development allocations, saying the province had been ignored in the previous federal budget and development agenda.

Afridi also expressed concern over the country’s economic situation, saying priority should be given to the economy and the welfare of poor citizens. He alleged that terrorism had seen an increase in KP and accused the federal government of treating the province unfairly.

He announced that the PTI would stage a protest outside Parliament during the budget session, scheduled to be held on June 10, and reiterated that as chief minister, he was authorized to take decisions on behalf of the provincial government.

Aslam told reporters that during the last meeting with the PTI founder last year, he consulted him on budgetary issues.

Aslam said the PTI founder had requested that he be consulted before preparing each budget. However, he said no meeting was held before the current financial year despite the importance of such consultations.

He said KP had received only a small allocation from the federal government’s development program and claimed that only six provincial projects had been included in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

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