PESHAWAR, June 12: NWFP lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches on Thursday staged a walkout to protest against the presentation of the budget in the National Assembly without the constitution of the National Finance Commission and payment of outstanding dues to the province from the federal divisible pool.

The NWFP ministers did not join the protest and kept standing till the return of their colleagues to vent their resentment in this regard. When the legislators returned, the ministers greeted them by thumping their desks.

The provincial legislature took up normal business after the walkout. The session was presided over by Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, took up its routine business, Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the ANP drew the attention of the chair towards the stance of the Centre towards the two resolutions adopted unanimously by the House for the constitution of the commission.

He said the assembly had sent two unanimous resolutions to the centre, demanding the constitution of the NFC, but Islamabad had not entertained their request, adding that it had become imperative for them to register their protest over the uncooperative stance of the federal government.

Endorsing the NWFP’s unified stand on the NFC, Abdul Akbar Khan of the PPP said that there was no need for the assembly, if it was not allowed to legislate, frame rules for the local governments or initiate accountability cases against corrupt people.

He said that the legislators had thought that President Pervez Musharraf would listen to their problems on his visit to Peshawar on Tuesday but, he added, he (President Musharraf) had not behaved like the head of the state.

Mr Khan said that the NWFP had been demanding that 60 per cent of the divisible pool should go to the provinces while the remaining 40 per cent should be retained by the Centre.

Terming it unfair to keep provinces deprived of their legal and constitutional rights, Mr Khan said the Centre gave only 37.5 per cent to the provinces while taking away 62.5 per cent of the national revenue.

Syed Makhdoom Mureed Kazim of the PPP (S) said it was the duty of the chief minister to take up this issue with the president on Tuesday, but he didn’t exploit the opportunity.

On the occasion, Minister for law and parliamentary affairs Malik Zafar Azam lamented that the federal government didn’t take any action on their two resolutions. This attitude would multiply the hardships of the province in days to come, he added.

He said they believed in “let live and be live”, otherwise the unnecessary interference into the provincial matter could trigger an unending crisis.

Lauding the unprecedented unity demonstrated by the opposition and treasury benches for the rights of the people, senior minister Sirajul Haq said their struggle would bear fruits.

Mr Haq said chief minister Akram Khan Durrani had taken up this issue with the president, prime minister and chairman of the senate and briefed all of them about the financial constraints of the province.

The House later adopted five unanimous resolutions regarding waiving agriculture loans in the drought-hit areas, provision of gas connections to parts of Mardan and Swat districts, reinstatement of the gas company employees and provision of free education to five per cent of the poor students enrolled at the private schools.

These resolution were tabled by Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan, Ms Naeema Akhtar, Maulana Nizamuddin, Abdul Akbar Khan and Bashir Bilour, respectively.