MULTAN City News

Gilani for NFC Award, Seraiki province

From Our Correspondent

MULTAN: Former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has demanded the government distribute resources to the provinces under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

Addressing a rally of PPP workers at Kehror Pacca on Friday, he also demanded creation of Seraiki province as per the constitutional amendment made by the Senate. He said that the PPP government under his premiership had reached a consensus on the NFC Award formula in consultation with the four provinces and President Asif Ali Zardari announced the seventh NFC Award in 2010.

He said that the PPP government had set a formula on resources distribution among the provinces. He said that it was the responsibility of the PML-N government to follow the NFC formula. Under the NFC formula, the provinces would get 56 per cent share from the federal revenue, he said, adding that the federation and the Punjab, Sindh and KP realising difficulties of Balochistan agreed to provide 0.9 per cent of the provincial pool to it. The former prime minister claimed that the PPP was the only party which nominated presidents, caretaker prime ministers, prime ministers, speakers and governors from the Seraiki region during its tenures.

The PPP had brought Seraiki province resolution in the Senate in the light of the commission’s report and amended the constitution. He thanked all the parties and their leaders on extending support to creation of Seraiki province. Yusuf Raza Gilani said that undoing the 17th amendment was the PPP’s great milestone when President Asif Ali Zardari cut down his powers and repealed Article 58(2)b from the constitution. He said that former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry ousted him from powers on refusal to write a letter to Swiss authorities over the president’s hidden assets. Gilani said that the constitution had given an indemnity to the president.