NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Wednesday said the NWFP government had not authorised President Pervez Musharraf to decide about the controversial National Finance Commission Award (NFC) on the cost of provincial resources.
He was speaking on a point of self-explanation here on the floor of the new assembly building. He told the house that when all the four federating units failed to evolve a consensus formula for the just distribution of national resources amongst them, three provinces - Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan - unconditionally authorised President Musharraf to decide about the matter.
The chief minister made it clear that he differed with the proposal and refused to empower the President to take a decision about the fortune of the 20 million people of the province.
He said that later President Musharraf himself in a speech mentioned that NWFP had not authorised him for making decision about the NFC award. "He said there was no option with him, but to oppose the way NFC award was being decided about," said Durrani.
"We have stressed that that area, population, and backwardness should be made criteria for distribution of resources," he reiterated. The chief minister said that representatives of the four provinces failed to reach a consensus due to the unacceptable stand taken by the Sindh finance minister, who was of the opinion that the revenue generation should be accepted as yardstick for the distribution of resources.
Durrani said it was also assured that the prime minister would talk to the self-exiled leader of the coalition partner of the Sindh government, but nothing happened.
Earlier, Abdul Akbar Khan of People's Party Parliamentarian drew the attention of the chair about the NFC award given by the President and sought the ruling of the chair on the matter.
He said first, it had been agreed that the centre would distribute 50 percent of resources among the provinces. Secondly, all the four provinces would have to evolve a formula for the distribution of resources among themselves, he added.
He said the NFC award announced by the President was unconstitutional (NFC) award and has not been issued in accordance with the constitution. The President could not amend the award after its announcement, he said, adding the federal government has transferred our share of the resources under the controversial NFC award. It means our entire budgetary exercise is illegal.
He said the distribution of resources between the centre and provinces had not been decided, so it was an unconstitutional award, he maintained. He asked the chair to give ruling on the issue. The Speaker said it was an important issue so he had decided to reserve his ruling on it.
Speaking on the supplementary budget, Israrullah Khan Gandapur said it would be better to call it an excess budget statement. He said: "In 2003-4, our ADP was of Rs 12 billion, while today (2007-2008) a supplementary budget of Rs 13.7 billion." The supplementary budgets, he said, showed an upward trend since the MMA had come into power.
Bashir Ahmed Bilour of ANP asked the house to adopt a resolution against the step-motherly attitude of the centre towards the province. He also opposed the huge allocation for the police department, which had failed to restore peace to the province.
Provincial Irrigation and Power Minister Akhtar Ali informed the house that his ministry had sent Rs 21 billion PC-1 of different schemes to Islamabad, but nothing had happened to these projects so far. Earlier, lawmakers congratulated the chair on holding session in the new building.
Durrani lamented that soon after the military take-over, the military rulers had tried to covert the assembly hall into a military court, but the political parties opposed it. He, however, said the new rulers converted the MPAs hostel into a police station, which should have not happened. Later, the Speaker adjourned the House till Thursday.
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