PPP MPs lament delay in new NFC Award

KARACHI: The Opposition legislators in the Sindh Assembly on Monday staged a token walkout from the proceedings of Sindh Assembly as the federal government came under severe criticism from the treasury benches for not giving priority to new National Finance Commission’s award during its first 100 days rule.

The treasury lawmakers belonging to Pakistan Peoples Party also castigated the PTI-led federal government for “willfully” ignoring the due rights of Sindh fiscal, water, and mineral resources of the country. The PTI Opposition lawmakers said those on the treasury benches asking questions regarding the first 100 days of the federal government’s rule should rather be held accountable for the uninterrupted rule of PPP in Sindh for the last 11 years.

The Sindh Assembly held general discussion for two hours on an adjournment motion of the legislator of PPP Nida Khuhro regarding the indifference of the PTI’s federal government towards the new NFC Award. The general discussion continued in the house till the late evening. Speaking on her adjournment motion, the PPP MPA alleged that the PTI government is exhibiting a non-serious attitude for enhancing the country's fiscal resources. She recalled that it was the PPP-led federal government, which had announced the last 7th NFC award in 2009 and gave due fiscal rights to the provinces. The PPP’s legislator said that instead of slashing the due share of provinces in the NFC Award to benefit to Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the fiscal quota of the centre should be slashed. She said the people of Sindh are also being deprived of their due share in the national resources of natural gas and water. The Opposition legislator of MQM Khawaja Izharul Hassan said that he would continue to raise his voice in favour of Karachi to secure due rights for the people of the city. The PPP’s legislator Taimur Talpur suggested that Prime Minister Imran Khan should better step down as he didn’t meet the criteria set for an elected public representatives in the Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

Responding to the PPP's allegations, the legislator of Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Haleem Adil Sheikh said the chief minister sent his recommendations for the person representing the Sindh in the newly reconstituted National Finance Commission after a very long and inordinate delay. He said the Sindh CM had to be reminded thrice by the federal government to recommend the NFC member from Sindh, but the delay in recommendations might be due to his (the CM) preoccupation with the affairs of the JIT on the fake bank accounts scam. He charged that the Sindh government was supposed to fight for the case of the due fiscal resources for the people of the province but instead the provincial government remained more interested in pleading the case of the Omni Group. The PTI’s legislator said that he felt ashamed of being member of such an elected assembly whose leader of the house has been mentioned in the JIT report.

Shaikh said the healthcare facilities of the province are in shambles and the people of the province are deprived of basic civic facilities owing to the poor performance of the Sindh government. He claimed the students in the electoral constituency of the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are getting education without basic facilities at their academic facilities. The PTI leader said the PPP government had not so far constituted the new Provincial Finance Commission for distribution of resources between the province and its districts.

The Sindh Education and Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah credited the government of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for giving a just NFC Award in 1973. He advocated treasury and opposition unity for raising a collective voice for the due fiscal resources for the people of Sindh.