Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday opposed a proposal to impose tax on “niswar” an addictive drug widely used in the province.

The chief minister showed the resistance when a debate was held on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2024-25 in a cabinet meeting before it was tabled in the KP Assembly.

Reports said the cabinet held an hour-long debate on taxing niswar in the budget. However, the cabinet members gave up the proposal after CM argued that “niswar is used by poor people and tax should not be imposed on it”.

KP Minister for Finance Aftab Alam presented Rs1754 billion annual budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 with a surplus of Rs 100 billion in the provincial assembly after it was approved by the cabinet.

The government has projected Rs 1,654 billion expenses, said the minister during budget speech in the assembly here, adding that as per the instructions of the Chief Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur the budget 2024-25 mainly focused on social protection, peace, employment opportunities, and economic development.