ISLAMABAD, May 2: The parliamentary committee on Balochistan met here on Monday and adopted with certain amendments the Mushahid Hussain sub-committee report comprising eight recommendations, including payment of gas royalty within a fixed period and a financial package for the development of Sui, Gwadar and Quetta. The meeting, presided over by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, recommended Rs3 billion for the development of social service structure of Gwadar, Rs2 billion for Sui and Rs4 billion for the uplift of Quetta.

Later, speaking in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced that the parliamentary committee had taken the first historic step and would complete its final report in due course of time to be tabled in the house. He termed it a historic day saying the parliamentary committee had done its job to the satisfaction of the people of Balochistan. It would provide a constitutional package in its next meetings, he added.

The ruling PML chief said an important aspect of the meeting was that Murree, Bugti, Mengal, JUI and MMA members of the committee had also attended it, besides the parliamentarians from the treasury. He told reporters that the committee had adopted the eight-point report of the Mushahid sub-committee and would soon reach consensus on constitutional steps to be recommended by the Wasim Sajjad sub-committee.

The committee, however, remained divided on the question of provincial autonomy and left the question of abolishing the entire or part of the concurrent list to the Wasim Sajjad committee. Recommending that the NFC award would be announced before the budget by accommodating the reservations and viewpoints of Balochistan, the committee stressed the need for immediately setting up the Council of Common Interests (CCI) which must meet twice a year.

It adopted a formula for royalty and gas development surcharge as framed by Senator Dilawar, a member of the committee, and recommended it for implementation. In matters of employment at Gwadar port, it suggested that the people of the town should be given preference and the second preference, as far as possible, should be given to the people of Makran and those of Balochistan. The committee discussed grievances of various tribes and asked the government to instruct the FC and Coast Guards to perform only the duties assigned to them — controlling drugs and arms. It also recommended the strengthening of levies and supply of Rs1 billion life-saving drugs to Balochistan hospitals.

The committee recommended that the final payment of gas royalty arrears from year 2000 to date be paid, latest by Dec 31. The payment should be made on the basis of reconciliation between the government of Balochistan and the federal ministry of petroleum. The Balochistan chief minister roughly estimated the outstanding amount at around Rs5 billion.

Four members of the committee belonging to the nationalist parties of Balochistan continued their boycott, while those belonging to the PPP Parliamentarians did not attend the meeting in protest against arrests and persecution of their workers in Punjab. After the first session of the committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain told reporters that it had been decided that a committee would be formed in tomorrow’s meeting to draft the final report of the Wasim Sajjad sub-committee on constitutional issues of Balochistan.

The committee, after a heated debate on the contentious issue of the Gwadar land scam, decided to recommend formation of a high-powered commission headed by a Supreme Court judge, with two judges taken from provinces, to probe, evaluate and submit its recommendations on ways of tackling the issue. PML (Nawaz) Senator Ishaq Dar proposed that all private housing schemes in Gwadar be disbanded and allotments of land in Gwadar be annulled by handing over the project to the Balochistan Development Authority with the powers to acquire the entire land on coastal highway and then allot it to people under certain rules.

The committee recommended setting aside 7 per cent of the total revenue of the Gwadar port for the development and welfare of Balochistan. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf, who attended the meeting on special invitation, opposed the proposal. He termed it impractical and the committee left the issue for the high-powered commission to decide.

The committee recommended that all federal vacant posts be filled by advertising and appointment of candidates from Balochistan on 5.7 per cent quota on the demand of the provincial chief minister.

The committee recommended immediate shifting of the headquarters of Gwadar Port Authority to Gwadar town, appointment of its chairman and majority of directors from Balochistan.

It recommended that 15 per cent of income from the OGDC and other exploration companies must be spent on local development and representation be given to the MPs from the province in boards of governors of the PPL, OGDC, etc.

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