PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has formally raised the issue of outstanding Net Hydel Profit (NHP) dues with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging an urgent resolution.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister cited *Article 161(2) of the Constitution, which mandates that revenues from *hydropower generation be allocated to the respective provinces. He emphasized that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) is responsible for determining the NHP rate, referring to the *1991 Qazi Committee Methodology (KCM), which led to the *first payment of Rs. 6 billion to the then-NWFP (now KP) in 1992.
This methodology was later *endorsed by the NFC and Supreme Court in 1997. In 2016, an *interim arrangement ratified by the CCI set the NHP rate at *Rs. 1.10 per kWh, with **5% annual indexation. However, *inconsistent payments have resulted in Rs. 75 billion in pending dues for KP.
The letter highlighted a *2018 demand for KCM’s full implementation, leading to a *2019 committee report verifying that KP was owed *Rs. 128 billion for FY 2016-17, a figure later endorsed by the **CCI. Despite further deliberations by the *Out-of-the-Box Committee, a resolution remains pending.
Stressing *KP’s financial strain, Gandapur urged the *Prime Minister to convene an urgent meeting to ensure a fair and constitutional settlement of the province’s dues. He expressed confidence that PM Shehbaz Sharif would ensure the constitutional rights of KP’s people are upheld.
