ISLAMABAD  -   Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday questioned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for its failure to establish the Counterterrorism Department (CTD) despite receiving Rs590 billion during the last 14 years.

The prime minister, responding to a point of order raised by Sunni Ittehad Council member and formed NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, highlighted that under the NFC, an additional one percent share was allocated for the KP province just to augment its efforts against terrorism.

He said the last NFC Award was agreed upon in 2010 by the government of Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani when terrorism was at its peak and the KP province suffered the most, followed by Balochistan and other provinces.

The prime minister said that KP people had been the frontline soldiers against terrorism which would always be remembered.

He said the additional one percent share for KP in NFC was still intact and no other province including Balochistan got such funds nor objected to it despite immense sacrifices by their law enforcement agencies and people against terrorism.

He told the House that from 2010 till now, the KP province had received Rs590 billion but could not yet establish the CTD for which the funds were mainly allocated.

This also needs to be looked into as why the CTD is still incomplete there despite getting such huge funds, he remarked.

Coming to another objection by the opposition member, the prime minister told the House that the federal government had forwarded a panel of three persons, as per tradition, asking the KP government to choose one officer for appointment as Chief Secretary which they have not decided so far.

He also offered to revise the panel if the provincial government desired so but rubbished the allegation of any discrimination against the province.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) played a vital role in country’s economy and stressed the importance of collective efforts for the national development and prosperity. Chairing a meeting on the matters related to the FBR, he instructed the hiring of top lawyers to pursue various pending cases of the board in courts and tribunals.

The prime minister instructed that Customs Appellate Tribunals, along with Inland Revenue Appellate Tribunals, be established to expedite the resolution of tax-related cases.

He vowed presiding over the weekly review meetings on FBR’s ongoing reforms and revenue.

The prime minister also directed to formulate a strategy for giving awards to meritorious officers of the FBR.

During the briefing, it was mentioned that the process of establishing Appellate Tribunals in Inland Revenue had begun.

A transparent written examination will be conducted for appointing judges to these tribunals.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani, Spokesperson of the Federal Government on Legal Affairs Barrister Aqeel Malik, Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry, Prime Minister’s Coordinator Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan, Chairman FBR, and other senior government officials.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday hailed the swift approval of the budget 2024-25 by the National Assembly, praising the tireless efforts of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his team for preparing a pro-people budget that prioritizes welfare of common man and promises to steer the country towards economic prosperity.

Talking to the finance minister in the National Assembly, the prime minister expressed his satisfaction over the active participation of all the treasury and opposition members in the budget session.

He also appreciated the efforts of the officers from ministries of finance, planning, other relevant ministries and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in preparation of the budget.

The government, he said, tried its best to utilize all possible resources to provide maximum relief to the common man.

He said the government provided relief to the salaried class, pensioners and workers.

The prime minister highlighted that special attention was given in the budget to various important sectors such as health, education, agriculture and information technology.

He said the elite class and the tax evaders would be brought into the net. “It is not possible that the poor pay the taxes and the elites enjoy tax exemptions,” he added.

Expressing satisfaction over the economic situation, the prime minister said the country’s economy had now been put on the right path and that Pakistan’s journey of prosperity had begun now.

He said due to the business friendly policies, the trust of investors had been restored in the government.

The government was taking steps to bring reforms in the departments and privatize the loss making state-owned entities on priority, he added.