LAHORE: Sindh hopes that the 9th National Finance Commission Award (NFC) will be finalised by the year end as agreed upon by Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in a meeting with provincial finance ministers.

“Dar Saheb had agreed in the last meeting of all the provincial finance ministers that the next NFC Award must be finalised by Dec 31, 2016, and we hope that this agreement will be honoured,” Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told Meet the Press programme of the Lahore Press Club on Monday.

Mr Shah had reached here early in the morning to attend a consultation on recommendations of the four working groups formed for the NFC Award.

Mr Shah asserted the award could have been given before the 2015-16 budget had his suggestion [as Sindh finance minister] been accepted in the first NFC meeting held on April 28, 2015 that stakeholders should dedicate five weeks to finalise all the nitty-gritty of the award by May end.

Defends demolition of MQM offices

Claiming that Sindh holds the key to the current energy crisis, he said the province produces 70 per cent of natural gas while it has large coal reserves and can also generate at least 1,000MW wind power within one and a half years.

He said he had recently submitted an undertaking to the prime minister on the latter’s demand regarding the wind energy provided the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) gives the power evacuation certificate and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) announces tariff for the power thus produced.

MQM OFFICES: Defending demolition of MQM offices in Karachi, the chief minister said it was an administrative decision with no political considerations. It was extension of the decision to remove encroachments from Gujjar nullah, he said, adding more encroachments would be removed as the government would not give up on the illegal structures.

He admitted that the offices were causing a [law & order] problem. “Meetings were being held there as early as 4am which is not a usual time for such gatherings. And people with dubious characters used to be found there.”

He told a questioner that no instruction was given to tear down MQM posters in the port city but people were angry [at the Aug 22 speech of Altaf Hussain].

About the pro-Altaf graffiti on the walls of the Sindh High Court, Mr Shah said the Sindh government as well as the ruling PPP has given a clear message that such an attitude is unacceptable. “He who indulges in such provocative activities will be dealt with as per law.”

The CM took credit for maintaining peace and normalcy in Karachi when there were serious fears of violence in the wake of the Aug 22 speech.

“We gave the citizens a peaceful city the next day, while on Aug 24 we conducted local body polls. It’s success of the political government, civil and paramilitary forces.”

He told a questioner that PPP co-chairperson Asif Zardari may return to the country even before December as the party will take a decision after appointment of provincial presidents by the September end.

Irreversible change: Talking about his governance priorities, he said he wants to see “right person for the right job”. He wishes to bring about a [positive] change in governance that is difficult to be reversed.

Claiming that the Sindh law and order has improved much, he said he would consider his success only when civil law-enforcement agencies would stand on their own feet.

He promised to enforce emergencies in the education and health sectors of the province saying the departments concerned had been given one month to prepare their strategies in this respect.

Immediately after landing at the Lahore airport in the morning, Shah went to Data Darbar.

Before joining the NFC consultation, he took his breakfast with Governor Rafiq Rajwana, who had arranged traditional Lahori food for him. And of course it included siri-paey, halwa puri, parathas, kulchas and lassi.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2016