PESHAWAR, 13 September 2026 (Ghufran): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has strongly criticised the federal government over repeated increases in petroleum prices and the rising national debt, saying the burden of economic policies is ultimately being passed on to the people. Addressing a provincial cabinet meeting, the chief minister termed the continuous increase in petroleum product prices extremely regrettable, saying the impact was being felt most severely by the poor and middle class. He said inflation had made life increasingly difficult for poor, middle-class and white-collar segments of society, with many people struggling to afford basic necessities and even two meals a day. Criticising the federal government’s economic policies, Afridi said repeated increases in petrol prices reflected a lack of clear direction. He claimed that Pakistan’s loans had increased from Rs43,000 billion accumulated over 74 years to Rs97,000 billion in the last five years, warning that the resulting burden would ultimately be borne by the public. The KP chief minister also strongly condemned a recent statement by the Punjab chief minister, saying it was regrettable to compromise national interests for personal or political interests. He said such statements were harmful not only to the interests of an individual province but also to the state of Pakistan and could contribute to the acceptance of an anti-Pakistan narrative internationally. Afridi also condemned statements by federal ministers against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the people and government of the province were increasingly concerned about how they were being treated and whether the province was being regarded as an integral part of Pakistan.