KP’s outstanding Net Hydel Profit dues cross Rs2.3 trillion, says CM Afridi

Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said on Tuesday that the federal government owes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Net Hydel Profit dues under the AGN Kazi formula worth more than Rs2,300 billion, according to Profit. The meeting heard that the province feeds more than 70% of national hydropower into the grid, yet over Rs78 billion in routine NHP instalments from an earlier interim deal is still owed. The province got Rs87.7 billion in NHP payments over three years, against Rs160.8 billion for Punjab, and Afridi said delays are straining its finances.

The province has taken its complaint to the Council of Common Interests over a five% yearly indexation of NHP, unpaid arrears, the late-payment surcharge and a direct payment mechanism. The meeting also recommended that excise duty gathered at wellheads be passed on under Article 161, and that 10% of LPG output be given to the province in line with the LPG Policy 2016. Afridi has directed the department to use every legal avenue, warning that the province will go to court if the centre fails to deliver relief.

The briefing added that the province produces 48% of Pakistan's crude oil and 850 tonnes of LPG a day, against local use of 600 tonnes. It also said a 10% allocation could meet annual needs of about 245,000 households and save roughly 2,440 hectares of forest yearly.