QUETTA, May 29: The Balochistan Assembly on Thursday called upon the federal government to include parameters of area and lack of development for allocation of federal resources under the National Finance Commission award formula.

The demand to redefine NFC award criteria was made in one of the five amended resolutions adopted by the provincial assembly.

Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar, who chaired the session, admitted an adjournment motion tabled by a Balochistan National Movement member for debate in the assembly budget session while ruling out two other motions.

The resolution on the NFC award formula was presented by treasury bench member Shah Zaman Rind and was backed, among others, by minister for revenue Mir Asim Kurd, leader of the opposition Kachkol Ali Baloch, Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasni of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal of the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and Jaffar Khan Mandokhel of the PML-Q. It was passed by the assembly members after being amended.

Debating the amended resolution, speakers expressed their resentment over the existing NFC award formula, blaming the federal government for neglecting Balochistan in all spheres of life, adding that no serious thought had been given to redressing the province’s grievances.

Terming the policy of distribution of federal resources duplicitous, they said that one the one had natural gas was being purchased from the province at very low prices keeping in view the parameter of quality while on the other hand resources were being allocated on population basis.

Accusing the federation of usurping the rights of the smaller federating units to please a particular province, members from both the treasury and the opposition benches called for safeguarding the rights of the federating units, saying it was in the interest of the people.

Speaker Kakar stressed that Balochistan, with its vast area, needed large amounts of funds to eliminate its backwardness, adding that it was possible only when the criteria for the NFC award included area.

Another resolution, moved by Shafique Ahmed Khan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, called upon the federal government to shift offices of the Sui Southern Gas Company, Gwadar port and other organisations to Quetta.

The resolution was adopted after being amended by the assembly members.

The third resolution was tabled by Mohammad Naseem Turyala of the PMAP, urging the federal government to increase the frequency of passenger trains running between Quetta-Chaman and Quetta- Taftan besides restoring the Quetta-Zhob railway line.

The resolution was also adopted after amending it.

The fourth resolution, presented by Rehmat Ali of the BNM, was adopted with some amendments, called for establishing sub- offices of the accountant general of Pakistan in the now defunct divisional headquarters of the province. The fifth resolution was tabled by Mir Jan Mohammad Buledi of the BNM and was backed by both the treasury and opposition benches.