ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers who openly challenged the party leadership during the passage of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget are now facing political and administrative retaliation, according to party sources.
The sources said the provincial government has decided to freeze development funds for dissident lawmakers and politically isolate them within the party after the budget’s approval.
The internal rift surfaced during debate on the provincial budget for fiscal year 2026-27. Several PTI lawmakers publicly criticized their own government, accusing it of failing to pursue an effective political strategy for the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly speaker Mushtaq Ghani, one of the leading dissidents, told the assembly that the provincial government had deliberately excluded development schemes from his constituency as punishment for demanding stronger efforts to secure Khan’s release.
Former provincial minister Sajjad Barakwal also criticized the government during the budget session and called for greater accountability over supplementary budget allocations.
According to PTI leaders, internal disagreements are not new. However, tensions escalated before the budget when a group of dissatisfied lawmakers publicly acknowledged divisions within the party.
The dissident group claimed it had the support of more than 30 lawmakers. They accused the provincial government and the party organization of failing to build sufficient political pressure for Khan’s release. Some also threatened to withhold support for the budget.
Several dissident lawmakers skipped meetings of the PTI parliamentary party before and during the budget session. Some were also absent from a key parliamentary party meeting on the day the budget was presented. Party leaders viewed the absences as a serious breach of discipline.
During the budget debate, several government lawmakers openly questioned the administration’s performance, criticized its spending priorities, and argued that the budget failed to meet public expectations. Their criticism exposed deep divisions within the ruling party.
Chief Minister Suhail Afridi adopted a conciliatory tone during the budget process and repeatedly insisted that party lawmakers remained united. However, party and government circles decided to act against the dissidents after the budget passed.
Party sources said around 10 lawmakers maintained their opposition throughout the budget proceedings. The government has now prepared a strategy to create political and administrative pressure on them.
According to the sources, the government will suspend development funds allocated to the dissident lawmakers. It also plans to channel development spending in their constituencies through other elected representatives, particularly members of the National Assembly.
The government has also decided to withhold funding for development schemes proposed by the dissident lawmakers, the sources said.
Government to Control Credit for Development Projects
Sources said Chief Minister Afridi will personally inaugurate major development projects in constituencies represented by dissident lawmakers. If he is unavailable, the relevant provincial minister will perform the inauguration.
The government also plans to ensure that publicity surrounding these projects highlights the provincial administration and the PTI leadership. Dissident lawmakers will not receive public credit for the projects, the sources said.
Although the budget includes development schemes for their constituencies, the government intends to attribute any completed projects to PTI members of the National Assembly rather than the provincial lawmakers involved.
Party Moves to Isolate Dissidents
The party has also decided to politically isolate the dissenting lawmakers, according to the sources.
Senior leaders have been instructed to limit contact with them. Chief Minister Afridi will not meet the dissidents, and they will be excluded from internal political consultations.
The sources added that if Afridi is granted a future meeting with Imran Khan, he plans to present a detailed report on the conduct of the dissident lawmakers during the budget session.
One dissident PTI lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said communication with the party leadership had already declined.
He dismissed concerns over the reported funding freeze, saying his constituency had received few development schemes in the previous year.
“It will become clear later what happens to development work in our constituencies,” he said. “This is only the beginning.”
He added that Afridi himself was facing growing dissatisfaction within the party.
“If the government adopts a policy of political revenge by blocking development funds, we will openly protest against it,” the lawmaker said.
Peshawar-based journalist Shahid Khan said the provincial government had already begun tightening pressure on the dissident lawmakers after the budget’s approval.
He said no development funds would be released to the dissidents during July.
According to Khan, Afridi was angered by the public criticism from PTI lawmakers during the budget debate. However, lawmakers who remained silent during the session and supported the chief minister would continue to receive development funding without disruption.
Reuters was unable to obtain an official response. Calls and messages seeking comment from the chief minister’s adviser on information, Shafee Jan, went unanswered.
