ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: The Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan, which held an informal meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, is likely to hold its formal meeting in Quetta after Eidul Azha to finalise its long overdue report on provincial autonomy.
At the meeting various issues concerning the report were discussed. It was presided over by committee chairman and ruling Pakistan Muslim League president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
It was decided that the opposition members in the committee would be persuaded to attend the next meeting, which would be crucial for finalising the report so that the same becomes a basis for appropriate constitutional amendments.
The government is planning to move a bill in the National Assembly, incorporating recommendations that the parliamentary committee has so far received. These recommendations include abolishing 47 items from the concurrent list and giving maximum financial powers to the provinces.
PML secretary-general Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who is also the chairman of a parliamentary sub-committee, and Senator Wasim Sajjad, Leader of the House in the Senate and head of the second sub-committee, were assigned the task of contacting members of the committee from the opposition and Balochistan’s nationalist parties to attend the next meeting.
The members of the committee discussed briefly the National Reconstruction Bureau’s proposals which were presented by NRB Chairman Daniyal Aziz at a briefing attended by Chaudhry Shujaat and Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Salim Saifullah Khan.
The NRB has, among other things, proposed equal share of 50 per cent for both the Centre and the provinces in order to bring necessary amendments to the National Finance Commission Award.
The NRB was assigned by the parliamentary committee to give expert opinion as to how the financial issues between the federal government and the provinces could be resolved.The ministry of law was also engaged in preparing proposals on provincial autonomy.
The Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee led by Salim Saifullah is also involved in drafting consensus proposals which could be acceptable to all stake holders.
The NRB, according to the insiders, has proposed in its report that the provinces be given maximum financial, administrative and political autonomy, particularly in the financial matter, to meet the demand for more provincial autonomy.
The Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee has also sought opinion from the four provinces on the NRB proposals and proposals already submitted by various opposition and ruling parties.
“The NRB has submitted its proposals and the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee will work out these after receiving proposals from the provinces,” sources said.The sub-committee headed Senator Wasim Sajjad plans to prepare final recommendations on provincial autonomy next month and submit the same to the government.
“The government will move a bill before the National Assembly seeking approval for the recommendations of the committee,” the sources said.
