LAHORE, Oct 16: Indicating that a number of subjects in the concurrent list of the Constitution would be transferred to provinces to enhance the quantum of autonomy, federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee Salim Saifullah Khan said here on Monday that the government would get a constitutional amendment approved by parliament with the concurrence of all opposition parties before the next budget.
Answering reporters’ questions at the “Meet the Press” programme of the Lahore Press Club, he said provincial autonomy did not mean that the role of the federal government would be confined to four subjects, as being demanded by some parties. While the provinces should be dealing with a lot more subjects, he said, there was also a need for an ‘active’ centre.
A report of the committee headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad would be made the basis of discussions with other parties, the minister said. According to him, a draft would first be worked out in consultation with the provincial governments and later talks would be held with various opposition parties.
He said that it should not be difficult for the government to get the 18th amendment passed before the next budget because all major opposition parties were represented in the Wasim Sajjad committee. He said since Baloch leaders had withdrawn from the committee because of the situation in their province, the government would make a fresh attempt to take all parties along.
He said the government would be completing its term in one year and before going to polls it wanted to take a historic decision on the issue of provincial autonomy.
A constitutional amendment can be passed by two-third majority of both houses of parliament, which will not be possible for the ruling coalition to arrange unless opposition parties support the move.
The minister said the government had already taken a number of steps as a result of which provinces were getting more funds and their share in the federal divisible pool would go up to 50 per cent by 2010.
He said special efforts were being made to bring Balochistan on a par with other provinces. For this purpose it is being provided with more development funds and its job quota has been increased.
While there was a propaganda that Punjab was usurping the share of smaller provinces, the minister said, it was Punjab which had given two per cent of its job quota to Balochistan to enable it to get more of its people employed. He said educational and other requirements had been relaxed to facilitate people from Balochistan to get jobs.
Mr Saifullah Khan did not give much importance to a Baloch jirga decision to take the matter of Balochistan to the Hague-based International Court of Justice. He said it was beyond the jurisdiction of the ICJ to take up such matters. The minister claimed that elements behind the move were rapidly losing support.
He said that some international forces wanted to destabilise Pakistan by fuelling unrest in Balochistan.
Answering a question, the minister said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was free to come to Pakistan and face cases against her and, law permitting, lead her party.
“Why is she not returning to Pakistan? I think she should,” said the minister, adding that courts were there to provide justice.
He cited the example of his brother Anwar Saifullah Khan who remained behind bars for some 16 months till a court released him on bail.
Replying to a question, he said the government had no plans to build Kalabagh dam in the near future.
“As minister my duty is to promote provincial harmony, not disharmony,” he said, implying that construction of the dam would be opposed by smaller provinces.
He told a questioner that the next meeting of the IPCC would be held in Lahore by the middle of the next month.
