“If Dues Aren’t Paid, We’ll Go to Islamabad and Take Our Rights”: KP CM Sohail Afridi Warns Federal Government

Karak / Lahore: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, speaking to a large public gathering in Karak, issued a stark ultimatum to the federal government over unpaid provincial dues and vowed that — if Islamabad continued to withhold funds — he would take the matter to the people and march on the capital to reclaim what he called KP’s rights. ([The Express Tribune][1])

Afridi said his government would first pursue constitutional and legal channels, but warned that failing a satisfactory federal response he would mobilize the public and “go to Islamabad” to secure the province’s entitlements. He demanded immediate release of sums he said were owed to the province, including arrears for the merged tribal districts and outstanding hydropower payments. ([The Express Tribune][1])

The chief minister repeated precise figures in his address, calling for the release of **Rs550 billion** in unpaid dues for the merged tribal districts and **Rs2,200 billion** in net hydel-profit arrears — demands he said were owed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and must be settled immediately. ([The Express Tribune][1])

Afridi also recounted attempts to meet PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail — saying he had sought the meeting through legal channels and was told by authorities they would “ask and let [him] know.” That effort, and subsequent restrictions placed on his convoy near the jail, have become a flashpoint in the rising confrontation between the provincial government and federal authorities. ([Dawn][2])

During the Karak rally the chief minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to local development and to protecting residents’ rights over regional resources, promising a package of projects for Karak including hospital upgrades, campus and college activations, and road funding. He also pledged zero tolerance for corruption and said his administration would treat officials as public servants, not rulers. ([Abb Takk News][3])

Afridi’s fiery remarks come amid heightened tensions between the KP provincial administration and the centre, and follow a string of high-profile public appearances and court petitions by the KP leadership over access to political leaders and federal decision-making. Observers say the dispute underscores widening fiscal and political fault-lines between provincial governments and Islamabad. ([Dawn][2])