Civil society hails devolution of powers

The colonial mindset, vested interest and the political influence have always been a part of the policies of the Centre, Khadim Hussain, an activist and civil society member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said during a press conference here on Wednesday.
He said the government decision regarding the devolution of powers to the provinces is the example of true democracy. "The role of Senator Raza Rabbani cannot be overlooked in presenting the 18th Amendment Bill in National Assembly," Khadim Hussain said.
He said it is indeed a good step being taken by the PPP government about the devolution of powers to provinces.
He maintained it seems that the deadline fixed for the devolution process to be completed on 30th of June might not be complied within the stipulated time. The resignation of Raza Rabbani as a Minister has created serious concerns among citizens of Pakistan about the compromises that might take place and undermine the whole process. Rolling back on the issue of HEC devolution is a notable example.
He added that the 18th Amendment was a landmark achievement and has brought back the spirit of a true federation and is a positive step towards rebuilding trust between the Center and the federating units. We do want to remind people that keeping a centralised system was an obsession that eventually resulted in parting ways of Bangladesh and the resentful state of the provinces in the current scenario, therefore it is of utmost importance for the Federal Government to ensure the people of Pakistan that the process of devolution goes ahead in the true spirit of 18th Amendment in the leadership of Raza Rabbani.
Hussain said that the people of Pakhtunkhwa consider the devolution of powers under 18th Amendment a ray of hope. However, they felt a major shock when the devolution of HEC was resisted at the federal level and in Punjab on the pretext of interpretation, lack of capacity and lack of resources. Although, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa formed a committee for an alternative body for higher education in KP and the committee succeeded in preparing a draft within two weeks, the unwarranted delay of devolving HEC for political expediency dampened spirits of the people, and frustration ensued.
Ishaq Baloch, a Civil Society member from Balochistan said that Balochistan has sacrificed a lot in establishment of Pakistan. "Pakistan has allowed China to extract copper and gold from the mines in Balochistan. Only 1 percent of the extracted copper and gold we are getting while the rest is being taken by Chinese." He disclosed, "What is Higher Education Commission (HEC) and is it performing its role with honesty and transparency as less than 170 students of Balochistan have been given foreign scholarships for the last ten years. What the Federal Ministry of Education given Balochistan; just one university and a medical college in the 60 years."
He added that after the 18th Amendment, particularly within Balochistan there is a strong feeling that perhaps now Islamabad has realised the consequences of a stringent centralisation, and that they have decided to carry on the devolution of powers in good and positive faith. However, now the trend of creating confusion and undermining this process by not transferring certain specific institutions to the province has resulted in serious concerning trend.
Through this the message that will go to the province will be that Islamabad does not want to give its resources and control over its power that under 18th amendment should have been constitutionally transferred. Keeping in mind the sensitive situation of Balochistan Islamabad should not only have help Balochistan to get all the relevant institutions and powers transferred but also help build its capacity. It should change its colonial attitude towards the provinces.
Jimmy Chandio, a social activist said Raza Rabbani has indeed made a history regarding 18th Amendment. "The issue regarding the distribution of water between Sindh and Punjab has become a hot issue and Irsa has failed to solve that out," Chandio added.
He said the process of devolution of powers to the provinces that was initiated under 18th Amendment in the leadership of Raza Rabbani stands the risk of derailing. The current changes in the Federal Government as a result of new alliance with PML Q and the conspiracy of certain elements to dodge the regular process and pull strings to make exceptions worries the people in the provinces, especially the citizens of Balochistan, Sindh and KPK.
Wajahat Masood, a writer and intellectual from Punjab said that the devolution of powers to provinces is a step to uproot the dictatorship. Also the educational curriculum should be issued from the provinces not the federal. He maintained that the people, political leadership, civil society and intelligentsia of KP are determined to struggle for their democratic rights and shall never allow the colonial, centrist and exploitative mindset to resist devolution of power, resources and institutions to provinces. We pledge to work for a truly federal democratic Pakistan.
The participants said that they strongly demand that the resignation of Raza Rabbani should not be accepted. It is highly important that he remains in-charge of the Ministry, which is so important for taking the devolution process forward. The people of provinces trust him and appreciate his commitment and sincerity towards implementation of the 18th amendment. His departure would create a sense of mistrust and can derail the whole implementation process. The people of Pakistan strongly feel that if the process of implementation derailed it would have sheer consequences on the trust between the center and the provinces and would be considered a failure of the present government.