Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan has claimed the FY2025-26 budget passed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is “not final,” urging the provincial government to petition the Supreme Court to secure a meeting with him.
In a statement posted on his official X account following a meeting between him and his sisters, Khan said he had sought a briefing on the budget before its passage owing to the trust placed in him by the voters of KP. “Prior to approving the budget, [KP Chief Minister] Ali Amin and the KP government should have approached the Supreme Court and stated unequivocally that the party leading the province is headed by Imran Khan, and it is from him that guidance on budgetary matters must be sought, without which even the IMF will not accept the budget,” read the statement.
The former prime minister directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to petition the Supreme Court for the meeting, emphasizing that the budget was “not final.” He said the budget should be passed only after it includes the amendments he specifies.
In his statement, Khan also criticized the province’s surplus budget, claiming—wrongly—that no other province was offering a surplus. Both Punjab and Balochistan have presented surplus budgets for FY2025-26. Claiming a surplus only benefited the “illegitimate federal government,” he appeared to believe this would “harm” the people of KP.
In his statement, Khan reiterated claims of Pakistan being ruled under a “brutal martial law,” criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. He also criticized the loss of innocent lives in drone attacks in KP and praised social media.
SC petition
On Wednesday, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, seeking a declaration against the federal government, Punjab’s chief secretary and the Adiala Jail superintendent for denying regular meetings with Imran Khan.
The petition argues the denial for meetings violates Articles 9 and 10A of the Constitution, which guarantee the right to life and a fair trial. It claims Gandapur’s role as chief minister requires him to meet Khan for effective governance and policymaking.
Gandapur also interrupted proceedings in the court of senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah to secure the meeting but was told he was approaching the wrong quarters and should meet Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi instead.