Rabbani slams Ahsan Iqbal for census remarks

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has taken exception to the remarks made by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal linking a flawed census to the population criteria of the NFC Award and said that one fails to understand why in this political atmosphere a new controversy is being created.

"It is surprising, as the minister must know that it is not the prerogative of his federal government to change the criteria of the NFC, as it has to be taken up in the commission itself and the CCI for a consensus decision," he said. Rabbani said the federal government should know that Article 160 of the Constitution makes it mandatory for an award every five years; the last award expired in December 2014. "Since then, no award has been announced by the federal government in violation of the Constitution of 1973," he said.

He said If the federal government wants to change the NFC criteria, let us also consider that all tax collection should be given to the provinces. The PPP Senator said a constitutional amendment be brought into effect so that, in violation of Article 160, Constitution, 1973, a one percent share of the province in the award can be increased, after a hearing, by the Senate of Pakistan.