DND News Agency
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) claim that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial treasury held Rs385 billion has raised questions about the province’s actual financial position, including outstanding liabilities, debt repayment obligations and expenditure on public services and security.
According to figures cited by PTI, Rs250 billion was held in the Debt Management Account, while Rs135 billion was in the Provincial Consolidated Account, bringing the combined total to Rs385 billion.
However, the aggregate balance of these accounts does not, by itself, establish how much money was available for unrestricted government spending. A comprehensive assessment requires details of outstanding liabilities, approved expenditures, debt repayments and other financial commitments.
The PTI-led provincial government’s own White Paper 2025–26 states that the Debt Management Fund was established to facilitate debt repayment and reduce the overall cost of borrowing. According to the document, the fund received initial capital of Rs150 billion during the 2024–25 fiscal year, while its estimated closing balance, including accrued profit, stood at approximately Rs154.067 billion.
In this context, the reported Rs250 billion balance for September 2026 requires clarification through updated official accounts and details of the fund’s financial position. Funds earmarked for debt management cannot automatically be treated as resources available for immediate expenditure.
The reported treasury balance also raises questions about the provincial government’s spending priorities and administrative performance. Relevant indicators include the funds allocated and released to strengthen the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), expenditure on security infrastructure and equipment in terrorism-affected areas, utilisation of the development budget, completion of public projects and outstanding payments to government departments and contractors.
These indicators would help establish whether the province’s financial resources were translated into effective public services and improved security. Budget documents, revised estimates, expenditure statements and audit reports are essential to such an assessment.
Another claim requiring scrutiny is that the provincial treasury held funds equivalent to only 18 days of salary payments in 2024. A meaningful comparison with the reported Rs385 billion balance in 2026 would require consistent accounting methods and consideration of liabilities, salary obligations and other financial commitments in both periods.
The central issue is not merely how much money was recorded in provincial accounts, but how much was available after accounting for liabilities and how effectively public resources were utilised.
Provincial financial resources are public assets, not the property of any political party. The publication of complete financial details, including account balances, liabilities, expenditures and audit records, would enable the public to assess PTI’s claim and determine the province’s actual financial position.
