May 27, 2024
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: The federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments have agreed on holding mutual consultations for addressing various issues between the Centre and the province, The News reported on Monday.
The development comes after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Federal Minister for Energy Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari met KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in Islamabad at the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad.
Discussing various issues faced by the KP, the huddle acknowledged the progress made on electricity loadshedding in the province and agreed to meet again on Monday (today).
It is to be noted that the KP government and Centre have been engaged in a verbal spat in recent days with the former complaining of dues that are owed to the province by the federal government.
Furthermore, loadshedding has become a thorny issue between the federal and KP governments with the chief minister even threatening to take control of the power distribution company, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) after decrying the excessive power outages in the province.
On Saturday, enraged citizens in Peshawar had even stormed into the Hazar khawani grid station, after incessant loadshedding led to protests in the midst of scorching weather.
The interaction between the KP CM and federal ministers follows the apex committee meeting of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) which was attended by CM Gandapur, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and other senior officials and office bearers.
After the meeting, the CM met incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan at Adiala jail.
During more than an hour-long meeting, Gandapur briefed the former premier about his provincial government’s performance as well as well as the SIFC meeting.