PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq has said that the federal government should increase Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award as the presence of millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Afghan refugees has adversely affected its financial position.

Talking to media persons at the party’s provincial secretariat here on Friday, he said that the prolonged stay of IDPs and refugees had put a negative impact on the economy and infrastructure of the province. He suggested that the centre should increase the share of KP in NFC award to address the issues of poverty and backwardness.

He said that frequent natural disasters had hit the province hard particularly its northern districts. He alleged that indifferent policies of the federal government had increased the sense of deprivation among the people of KP.

Mr Haq said that the government and political forces of the province had serious reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Says prolonged stay of IDPs and refugees has affected the province’s economy

He said that his party ran a campaign to protect rights of KP in CPEC and hosted an all-party conference. He said that alternative route from Gilgit to Chitral via Malakand and Peshawar divisions had been included in the CPEC project that would benefit the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Demanding merger of Fata with KP, the JI chief said that the tribal people had the right to make decision about their future. He urged the federal government to seek opinion of the people before making any decision about the future of Fata. He also demanded abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Criticising ‘plea bargain’, he said that the National Accountability Bureau had given a clean chit to plunderers of the national wealth. He said that JI would not accept ‘plea bargain’.

He said that the powers of prime minister and opposition leader to appoint NAB chairman should be withdrawn because both were political personalities. He proposed that the chief justice of Supreme Court and chief justices of high courts should be empowered to appoint the NAB chairman and director generals in the four regional offices.

He said that Panama leaks had exposed the ruling class of the country and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had failed to prove himself clean before the nation. He said that Mr Sharif had announced that he was ready for accountability, but the federal government could not make legislation to eradicate corruption.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2017