August 20, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 21, 1424

KARACHI, Aug 19: The Sindh government is creating a new department of inter-provincial coordination to liaise with the federal government and to remain in touch with three other provinces on issues that are central to Sindh’s interest.

“We endeavour to build on opportunities for constructive cooperation with three other provinces of the federation and with the federal government to serve the best interests of Sindh,” Sardar Nadir Akmal Khan Leghari, who has been appointed as Sindh Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, told Dawn in his office on Tuesday.

He hastily added that the department would not only articulate on issues like the National Finance Commission, Thal Canal, Kalabagh Dam, law and order problems arising out of federal government’s policies, but would also explore opportunities to cooperate with all the three provinces, bilaterally or multilaterally, for serving collective interests.

Abdul Hafeez Pirzada was the first federal inter-provincial coordination minister after the enforcement of 1973 constitution. Since then Sindh has taken lead over other provinces by creating such a department at the provincial level. Ironically, it comes at a time when the government’s declared policy is to minimize the government and reduce its expenditure.

Mr Leghari has been appointed minister and Hamid Akhund has been nominated secretary of Sindh department of inter- provincial coordination. The department, however, awaits an official notification for which a summary is reported to have been moved to the Governor.

The department is being set up in anticipation of a meeting of the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC), which Mr Leghari hinted is likely to meet either at the end of this month or early next month. In fact, Islamabad approached all the provinces, including Sindh, to provide a list of the issues of their respective interests by August 20 to be included on the agenda of the IPCC meeting.

Purely an administrative body, the IPCC is headed by federal minister Aftab Sherpao and includes the chief ministers and finance ministers of the four provinces. How would Mr Leghari find a place as a provincial minister in the IPCC is a question that remains unanswered.

Nonetheless, the newly-created department has listed the NFC, Thal canal, 1991 water accord with particular focus on annual release of 10 million acre feet of water downstream Kotri, construction of water reservoirs in Sindh, fisheries problems with Balochistan, local government system and issues related to National Reconstruction Bureau, law and order issues relating to neighbouring provinces, IRSA, business community’s problems with Islamabad and the National Economic Council as some of the issues that the Sindh government would like to discuss with Islamabad and all other provinces.

“We want to discuss and debate all the issues frankly and fairly and without any reservations,” Mr Leghari pointed out while explaining that hitherto there have been inhibitions and mental reservations while articulating certain issues. “Our purpose is to erase a negative perception of Sindh,” he stressed.

The minister held first meeting with secretaries and senior officers of 10 provincial departments last Thursday. The meeting was informed that Wapda was still resorting to deduction at-source Sindh’s share of the divisible pool despite the fact that last NFC award of 1997 made it clear that no such deductions would be made.

The recent mishap near Karachi Port and its environmental and economic fallout in Karachi is the other issue which the newly-created department would like to take up at the IPCC. “Sindh should be involved in enquiry of the incident and in the salvage operations that would have to be taken,” Mr Leghari emphasized.

The 1997 NFC award constituted a monitoring committee of the federal and provincial finance ministers.

This committee was to meet every three months to review financial health of the provinces and to consider issues of the provinces. Since July 1997, when the NFC award is being implemented, the monitoring committee met hardly four times in the last seven years. Mr Leghari wants to raise this issue on the IPCC forum.

Mounting expenditure on law and order maintenance, particularly for the upkeep of Rangers in Sindh is also an issue that Sindh wants to debate in the IPCC forum.

But all said and done IPCC remains an administrative body. Its decisions are suggestive and recommendatory that may be accepted or may not be accepted remains prerogative of the government.

The 1973 constitution lays down a procedure for the formation of Council of Common Interest (CCI) and its decisions enjoy constitutional support for implementation.