PESHAWAR - In the February 8 general elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidates have secured majority of the seats to form government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the PTI may face challenges in governing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a federal government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-N-Pakistan People’s Party coalition.
The PML-N and PPP recent announced at a press conference that they have agreed to form a coalition government in the center and Balochistan. Like other provinces of Pakistan, more than half of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s annual budget relies on funds from various federal sources.
If estimated, the budget of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa largely depends on provincial taxes, National Finance Commission, net profits from electricity, and gas royalties from the federal government. In the past, the PTI’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has always complained that the federal government does not provide the province with its due share.
However, in view of the government set-ups being formed, the economic situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may worsen, especially given the rivalry between the PTI-led KP and other parties in the center.
Even when PTI’s Mahmood Khan was chief minister in the former provincial government, he missed the meetings of Council of Common Interests. The current precarious economic situation in the province cannot withstand any experiment because on the one hand, there are billions of dollars in loans to be repaid, while on the other, sometimes the province even lacks enough money to pay salaries to employees of various government departments. Under the such circumstances, the PTI may face problems in running its flagship project “Sehat Card” as it would require nearly Rs40 billion annually amid the rising inflationary spiral in the country.
In addition to issues regarding the distribution of funds between the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, security issues may also be a major challenge for PTI in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the days to come. The TTP and IS militants have become more lethal as they have started using the modern guns, left behind by the US-led forces in Afghanistan at the time of their withdrawal from the war-ravaged country. Under such circumstances, the KP police will definitely need funds for modern weapons.
If the PTI government in KP is not supported by the federal government, the fight against extremism will be a major challenge for the province. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can also become a center for the PTI for protests and any confrontation with the federal government, as has been witnessed in the past In conclusion, the PTI’s governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would face significant hurdles amidst shifting federal coalition dynamics, economic strains, and escalating security threats.