Afridi alleged that the federation was deliberately discriminating against KP during the distribution of the NFC Award
ISLAMABAD:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday announced a province-wide general strike, ordering government employees to suspend routine administrative work to protest 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 National Finance Commission (NFC) award as well as electricity and gas allocations, saying the province was being targeted because it is governed by a PTI-led administration.
“The federation is deliberately discriminating against Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in NFC price and electricity and gas allocations. A province-wide general strike will be observed on May 6. Emergency services will remain exempt,” the statement said.
The chief minister also called on lawyers to participate in the protest, describing it as a move for “protection of the Constitution and the rule of law”.
The call for legal fraternity and the reference to constitutional protection comes amid wider political tensions, with the KP government also expressing concerns in recent weeks over the PTI leadership, particularly on issues involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
The strike is announced amid a series of commitments between the provincial and federal governments over financial transfers and constitutional fiscal arrangements that have remained a point of contention in recent months.
The conflict between the NFC and the NFC dates back to the 2009-2010 award, but KP grievances 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 expressing concerns over delays in federal transfers under the NFC award, particularly those related to merged districts.
The issue was taken up during a meeting between the Prime Minister and Afridi on February 2, 2026, focusing on NFC transfers, unpaid 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 district merger after other provinces objected to the inclusion of 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%.
