Afridi alleged that the federation was deliberately discriminating against KP in the distribution of the NFC award
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday announced a province-wide strike on Wednesday (today), ordering government employees to suspend routine administrative work in protest against what the provincial government calls the Centre’s “discriminatory treatment” in financial and constitutional matters.
In an official statement, Afridi alleged that the federation was deliberately discriminating against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the distribution of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award as well as electricity and gas allocations, alleging that the province was being targeted because it is governed by a PTI-led administration.
“The Federation deliberately discriminates against Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in NFC award and electricity and gas allocations. A province-wide strike will be held on May 6. Emergency services will remain exempt,” the statement read.
The prime minister also called on lawyers to take part in the protest, calling it a measure to “protect the Constitution and the rule of law.”
The call for legal fraternity and reference to constitutional protection come amid broader political tensions, and in recent weeks the KP government has also raised concerns related to the PTI leadership, including matters involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
The strike is announced amid a series of compromises between the provincial and federal governments over financial transfers and constitutional fiscal arrangements that have remained a point of contention in recent months.
The NFC dispute dates back to the 2009-10 award, but KP’s complaints intensified after the merger of tribal districts in 2018, which increased demands for federal funding. The issue resurfaced in 2026 through formal communications and high-level meetings between the two sides.
On January 15, 2026, Chief Minister Afridi wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, raising concerns over delays in federal transfers under the NFC Award, particularly those related to the merged districts.
The matter was taken up in a meeting between the Prime Minister and Afridi on February 2, 2026, focusing on NFC transfers, outstanding federal dues to KP and coordination on governance and security issues.
However, differences persisted and on March 26, the KP government walked out of an NFC subgroup meeting on merged districts after other provinces objected to including the region’s population in the resource distribution formula, a move that could have increased the province’s share from 14.62% to 18.96%.
