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| December 09, 2006 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 17, 1427 |
Autonomy plan to be finalised before polls
ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: The parliamentary sub-committee on Balochistan headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad is likely to meet in the last week of December to examine the proposals prepared by the National Reconstruction Bureau and the ministry of law and the input provided by provinces on the issue of provincial autonomy.
The sub-committee, part of the main parliamentary committee, headed by PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, was given task two years back to prepare a consensus document which could be made the basis for bringing amendments to the Constitution to give maximum administrative and financial autonomy to the provinces.
Before the sub-committee meeting, a preparatory meeting between Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah Khan, NRB officials and Mr Sajjad will be held to come up with their proposals on the subject.
Later, regular meetings would be held in which opposition members will also be invited.
The NRB has prepared the recommendations for the parliamentary sub-committee for incorporation in its final report.
There are a number of suggestions from various political parties, including the PPP, the PML and nationalist parties of Balochistan, which would be sorted out by the committee to prepare a consensus report on the quantum of provincial autonomy.
The sub-committee is facing difficulties in holding its continuous meetings due to bureaucratic hurdles as well as lack of coordination and lack of courage to go ahead on the most contentious issue of provincial autonomy.
Mr Wasim Sajjad told Dawn that the sub-committee had given task to various government departments to offer their comments on the autonomy issue which had been discussed in the last meeting of the sub-committee held in November.
Wasim Sajjad said that the experience of provincial autonomy exercised by other democratic countries would also be examined in order to make more broader recommendations.
When contacted, inter-provincial coordination minister Salim Saifullah Khan said, “apparently there is no hurdle in holding regular meetings of the sub-committee as the ministry has also worked out some proposals for it.”
He hoped that the sub-committee would soon meet to discuss the proposals of various political parties on the provincial autonomy and would finalise them before next elections.
Mr Saifullah said the parliamentary committee could not be convened due to official engagements of its members.
Meanwhile, the next inter-provincial coordination committee will hold its second meeting in Lahore on December 16, said the minister.
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