KARACHI, April 3: President Pervez Musharraf has emphasised the need for close coordination between federal and provincial governments to resolve people’s problems.

While reviewing the overall performance of the provincial coalition, the President stressed that good governance was essential to serve people in an even better way.

His observations came during his meeting with a delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement at the Governor’s House on Thursday. Governor Ishratul Ibad and President’s staff, besides Nasreen Jalil, Syed Sardar Ahmad, Kanwar Khalid Yunus, Safwanullah and Babar Ghauri, were present at the 25-minute meeting.

Aftab Ahmad Shaikh, Deputy Convener of the MQM’s Coordination Committee and Advisor (Finance) to the Chief Minister, told Dawn that the delegation drew the President’s attention to the problems being faced by the coalition in the execution of development projects. He said that the President was informed that certain problems had emerged out of the inordinate delay in the receipt of the province’s share in federal grants. He said that General Musharraf was also apprised of the absence of a system to monitor the federal government’s projects, like Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre, Steel Mill, etc., in this regard.

The President was requested to direct Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz to release Rs3.4 billion share of Sindh as subvention money which was paid to Balochistan and the NWFP and consumed while Sindh was kept waiting.

Mr Shaikh said that he had written about 10 letters to the finance minister in this respect but nothing had emerged so far. He said that this situation was adversely affecting the pace of development in the province.

The delay in announcing the NFC Award may also be against the interests of the province, he pointed out.

He said the President’s attention was drawn to the pathetic conditions in Hyderabad city where not only the road network but also the entire drainage system had collapsed. He said that no improvement in the situation was possible unless the federal government provided special grants, he said.

Mr Shaikh said that the president was invited to Hyderabad for on-the-spot review of the situation. He said that President Musharraf asked him to bring the PC-1 of the required development work in the city to Islamabad for necessary action.