JUI-F’s APC rejects proposed changes in 18th amendment, NFC

PESHAWAR: The leaders of different opposition parties Saturday strongly condemned the government's reported efforts to make changes in the 18th Constitutional Amendment and National Finance Commission at a time when the whole nation was passing through the most difficult situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

They declared at an All Parties Leaders Conference held in Peshawar that the bid to amend the laws that have ensured provincial autonomy were aimed at sabotaging national solidarity, The conference was convened by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and presided over by the party chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman.

The conference was attended by Central President of Qaumi Watan Party and former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Murtaza Javed Abbasi, deputy chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Prof Mohammad Ibrahim Khan and its provincial head Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, provincial president of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Humayun Khan, parliamentary leader of Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak, Mukhtar Yousafzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), general secretary of JUI-F Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and his party fellow Senator Maulana Ataur Rahman and others.

A joint declaration adopted on the occasion termed the current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as a production of rigging and illegal. It claimed that this government has proved its incapability due to its poor performance during the two years of its rule.

“This government has no right to make changes in the immensely important 18th amendment. Such an effort would do away with the parliamentary and democratic spirit of the constitution,” the declaration stated.

Also, it noted that the matter of new NFC was under trial in the court and, therefore, the government should not make any decision in this regard that could create further unrest among the provinces.

The participants of the conference declared that changes in the 18th amendment would be detrimental for national solidarity. The conference rejected changes in the management order of the NFC. It also rejected holding provinces responsible for the responsibilities of the Centre. It stressed that the technical board/non-statutory members of the 10th NFC should belong to the provinces concerned and should be nominated by the governor and provincial government in consultation with the opposition parties.

The meeting argued that after the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial share in NFC should be enhanced. The opposition party leaders were of the opinion that the 10th NFC should include the finance ministers of the four provinces and the federal finance minister. “But due to the non-availability of the federal finance minister, the president has named advisor to the prime minister on finance as member of the commission, which is illegal.

It noted that the portfolio of finance is with the prime minister so he along with the advisor finance and secretary finance would represent centre in the commission and disturb the balance of the commission between the federation and the federating units. The participants demanded that the advisor finance should immediately be removed as NFC member.

They demanded that the provincial share in the 10th NFC award should be increased by 57.5 percent in accordance with Section 160, sub-section 3-A of the constitution.

The meeting also discussed in detail the situation arising due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It expressed serious concern over the non-serious steps taken to tackle the pandemic and alleviate miseries of the people as a result of the long lockdown. They said that the opposition parties extended support to the government despite all their differences and launched relief operation to support those affected by the lockdown. “But the government remained invisible throughout the crisis and its non-serious steps exacerbated the situation,” the declaration maintained.

The participants lauded the exemplary performance of the Sindh government to combat the disease and overcome its side-effects and paid tributes to medical staff for rendering services during the crisis.

The meeting criticized the indifferent attitude of the government, particularly the Foreign Office towards the miseries of the overseas Pakistanis. It said the government failed to take any step for the well-being of the overseas Pakistanis who were affected badly by the fast spreading infectious disease. They demanded of the government to announce a comprehensive compensation package for all the sections of the society affected by the coronavirus emergency and the lockdown.

“The government has been unable to take concrete steps for bringing back the bodies of Pakistanis who died of the virus abroad. The government should take early steps for bringing back the bodies of Pakistanis and for the purpose the Pakistani embassies abroad should be converted into relief centres and kept open round the clock,” the declaration argued.

The meeting demanded that Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar and Islamabad Airport should be reopened and 50 percent rebate in air tickets should be given to the Pakistanis stranded abroad.

The conference also discussed the miseries of farmers owing to the massive locust attack on crops in the country and urged the government to announce relief package for the affected farming community.

The opposition leaders also asked the federal government to immediately release the outstanding amount of Rs500 billion owed by it to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as its share and arrears of hydel net profit. The meeting demanded that the electricity bills of all the consumers should be written off for three months in line with the announcement made by the prime minister.

The conference criticized the unilateral actions of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the opposition leaders and said that this should stop forthwith.

The opposition leaders expressed concern on the flour, petrol and sugar crisis in the country and deplored that both the federal and provincial government have failed to overcome the situation resulting from the skyrocketing prices and non-availability of these commodities.

They expressed solidarity with free judiciary, stating that the judicial reference against Justice Qazi Faiz Esa was based on nefarious designs and tantamount to attacking the freedom of judiciary. They pledged that the opposition parties would keep condemning this strongly.

The conference also formed a six-member committee including central chief of JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami head Senator Sirajul Haq, ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan, QWP chairman Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, PPP provincial president Humayun Khan and PML-N’s Murtaza Javed Abbasi. The committee would make contact with all the opposition party heads, create unanimity on national issues and convene all party conferences in different provinces.