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ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking permission to meet former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan ahead of the provincial budget for the next fiscal year.

Speaking to reporters at the IHC alongside KP Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam, the chief minister said a meeting with the PTI founder was essential as the provincial budget had been prepared and required his final approval. He maintained that the people of KP had given their mandate to the PTI founder, adding that consultation with him on the budget was necessary.

CM Afridi said the province was being deprived of its due share of resources and alleged that KP was being punished for supporting the PTI founder. He criticised the federal government’s development allocations, claiming the province had been ignored in the previous federal budget and development programme.

The chief minister also expressed concern over the country’s economic situation, saying priority should be given to the economy and the welfare of poor citizens. He alleged that terrorism had seen a rise in KP and accused the federal government of treating the province unfairly.