ISLAMABAD, June 20: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has asked the government to introduce a bill on provincial autonomy submitted by the party to the National Assembly last month, during the current session of the lower house after passage of the federal budget.

“The ball is now in the court of President Gen Pervez Musharraf who had announced that the nation would get good news before the elections on the issue of provincial autonomy,” said MQM’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Minister for Communications Shamim Siddiqui, Minister for Housing Safwanullah, MNAs Syed Haider Abbas Rizvi, Kunwar Khalid Yunus, Abid Ali Umang, Iqbal Mohammad Ali, Abdul Qadir Khanzada and Dev Das were present on the occasion.

The Muttahida leader said Pakistan was facing a “now or never situation” on the issue of provincial autonomy. He said the party had submitted on May 14 this year the bill, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Eighteenth Amendment) Act 2007, seeking complete autonomy for the provinces.

He said the bill had been prepared by a special committee of the party after long discussions and consultations with intellectuals, legal experts and politicians. The MQM leaders were of the view that the Balochistan problem would also be solved with the passage of the bill.

Giving salient features of the bill, Dr Sattar said that centre should have control only over defence, currency and foreign affairs while other subjects should be handed over to the provinces. He said that they had reduced the federal legislative list to 35 subjects from 50 and the concurrent list would be abolished.

He said the bill sought reconstitution of the Council of Common Interests (CII) to make it more active and effective. He said that under the bill the provinces had been given the powers to convene a meeting of the CII on one-week notice and the council would be bound to resolve an issue within 18 weeks.

Dr Sattar said through the bill the National Finance Commission (NFC) had been made independent, on the pattern enforced in India. Some judicial reforms have also been suggested under which the president would have no role in the appointment of high court judges. He said provincial governors should have the powers to appoint high court judges in consultation with chief ministers. He said the bill had also suggested the setting up of a provincial judicial council on the pattern of Supreme Judicial Council.

Moreover, he said, the Muttahida wanted to make Senate a more effective and powerful institution.

He said that provinces’ consent must be sought before a decision regarding proclamation of emergency.

Replying to a question, he said the bill was an open document and the MQM had already informed its allied parties about it.

He said his party always supported provincial autonomy believing that many outstanding issues could be resolved with it.

Answering a question about nationalist parties’ demands for new provinces, he said first the existing provinces should get complete autonomy and then they could talk about the creation of new provinces.