ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: The thrust of the constitutional package to be announced by President Pervez Musharraf most probably in his speech on March 23 will be on granting more autonomy to the federating units, Dawn has reliably learnt.

The package, which is being finalized at the National Reconstruction Bureau in a highly secretive manner, would also enhance powers of the Senate, besides curtailing federal list in the Constitution.

Some insiders privy to the package divulged that NRB think-tanks were studying the US system, where Senate enjoyed immense powers, including those of appointing judges of the superior courts.

They believed that emulating the US system would not be possible in Pakistan’s intrinsic situation, but a longstanding demand of the political parties, particularly those hailing from smaller units, for granting financial powers to the Senate was being considered by the NRB.

NRB Chairman Tanveer Naqvi would be meeting political leaders before finalizing the constitutional package, which, the president had already stated, would fine-tune the democratic system and might introduce some checks and balances, the sources said.

At a recent meeting with the leaders of the Awami National Party, they added, the president had said the NRB chairman should meet the political leaders for discussing the sensitive issues, like provincial autonomy, enhancement of the powers of the upper house and increase in the number of Senate seats.

They said NRB, in principle, had taken a decision to introduce women seats in the upper house and increase the seats of technocrats but it had not reached on any decision with regard to the numbers.

The political leaders, who had lately met the president, had gathered an impression that Gen Musharraf seemed convinced that the country’s territorial integrity could be solidified by giving more powers to the federating units, they added.

All the political parties are unanimous that the federal list in the Constitution should be reduced by restricting it to finance, defence, communication and foreign affairs and rest should be given to the provinces.

A working paper, prepared by the NRB, has also upheld the view of the political parties and has gone a step further by suggesting that in areas like education, agriculture, power and natural resources, the role of federal government should be of coordination rather than the policy making and implementation.