ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has objected to recent remarks by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain regarding a possible review of the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
He warned that such statements reflect a broader intent within the government to revisit or roll back the 18th Amendment and the NFC Award.
“This amounts to a betrayal of the federation and an attack on provincial autonomy and fiscal devolution. The provinces and the people of Pakistan will resist any such move,” he said in a statement responding to the federal minister’s remarks.
Rabbani cautioned that rolling back provincial autonomy in the current fragile political environment would be tantamount to “playing with fire.”
He warned that, if pushed to the wall, the provinces could demand that all tax collection powers be withdrawn from the federal government and that the provinces themselves collect all taxes. “The federal government could then present its expenditure before the provinces through the Council of Common Interests (CCI),” he added.
The former Senate chairman said that all divisions devolved to the provinces under the 18th Amendment — but still functioning within the federal setup — should be immediately transferred, including the Ministry of National Food Security.
“History will never forgive this parliament if it rolls back provincial autonomy or places fetters on judicial independence,” he concluded.
