March 16, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1429

HYDERABAD, March 15: Treasury and Opposition need to accommodate each other and give due importance to social sector, said designated Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro. He said all private bills of outgoing opposition legislators should be tabled.

“Transfer of power is being unnecessarily delayed which will pose challenges for the next government,” he said while talking to journalists at the press club on Saturday. MPAs elect Zahid Bhurgari and Imdad Pitafi were also present.

He said elections were held on February 18 and 60 days required for ensuring transfer of power to new government had elapsed. He said unlike premiership of Zafarullah Jamali this time no turnout was needed for formation of government and three major parties stood as the government-in-waiting.

He said the outgoing government gave nothing to people except hunger, joblessness and lawlessness. The next government would have to face all these challenges after its formation. He said if political will for accommodation remained missing it would make the task of government difficult.

He accused the outgoing government of demonstrating bias which caused political polarisation and said now people needed a whiff of fresh air. “That’s accommodation is to be shown by Treasury and Opposition benches so that political environment can be improved and social sector focussed,” he said.

He said this time the question of prime ministerial slot became major issue due to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto but every member of the party would accept the decision of party leadership to be announced on Sunday.

He supported changes in the NFC award distribution formula on the ground the PPP had not accepted the provisional award announced by President with slight amendment under his discretionary powers. He said besides population, collection of revenue should also be made basis of the award. He said the NFC issue was also part of charter or democracy and expressed the hope that next government would take up the issue. “Certainly, criteria of the NFC need to be changed,” he said.

Abut MQM-PPP coalition, he referred to 2002 elections when PPP had tried to form a similar coalition government and said that his party once again showed a gesture of goodwill but MQM seemed to have decided to sit in opposition.