ISLAMABAD, May 3: The cabinet on Friday decided to offer greater financial autonomy to the provinces by transferring a number of federal subjects to them in the next six months.
The cabinet meeting, held with President Gen Pervez Musharraf in the chair, also decided not to restrict political activities or impede the freedom of press.
“Now when the referendum is over, the second phase of devolution of power will be completed by October next to transfer a number of federal subjects to the provinces in order to offer them increased financial power,” Information Minister Nisar Memon quoted the president as having stated at the meeting.
Speaking at a news conference, Mr Memon said the president had told the meeting that healthy political environment would be created as now the focus of the government was to hold fair and free elections in October.
The president, Mr Memon said, had told the cabinet that he was against confrontation with any political party and now that he had been elected president, he would like to promote harmony among the political parties and individuals. The president said that he had been holding meetings with the politicians and would continue to do so in future.
“This is my conviction that we can bring real and genuine democracy in Pakistan,” the president was quoted as having said by the minister.
He said the role of the provinces would be strengthened and their complaints, especially those relating to financial power, would be removed. The president, he said, had directed the finance minister and the NRB chairman to finalize the issues so that new financial power could be offered to the provinces quickly.
He said the president was of the view that without extending adequate financial power and autonomy to the provinces, it was not possible to remove inter-provincial disharmony.
Similarly, he said, the complaints of Nazims and Naib Nazims that they were not being given financial power, would also removed so that the reform process is made result-oriented.
According to Mr Memon, the president said he would ensure that all the commitments that he had made with people at public meetings were fulfilled as quickly as possible. He, however, pointed out that projects like Gwadar Port cannot be executed by October this year, saying the mega-projects would take some time to complete.
The president also said that the task of introducing constitutional amendments would be accelerated so as to strike balance among the three power brokers — the president, the prime minister and the army chief.
In reply to a question, the minister said that the objective of the new amendments was to ensure checks and balances so that no power broker can misuse his authority on any issue.
“Let us speed up the momentum of reforms and their execution in the fastest possible way,” the president was quoted as having said at the cabinet meeting.
In reply to another question, Mr Memon said there was no ban on political activities. “Whatever limited political activities are there, they will continue without any restrictions,” he assured.
Answering questions about alleged mal practices and irregularities in referendum, Mr Memon said: “If anyone has any complaint about the referendum, he should go to the Election Commission or the superior courts”.
Asked whether the cabinet had discussed criticism of the political parties and foreign newspapers about the referendum, he said the press was totally free and nobody was being stopped from writing anything. “Anyone may have different opinion about the referendum.”
The minister told a reporter that Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s strike on Thursday had nothing to do with political instability.
