PESHAWAR, Aug 26: After failing to elicit positive response from the Centre to its repeated requests for formulation of a new National Finance Commission (NFC), the NWFP government has decided to lobby with other  provinces in this regard.

The decision to muster other provinces’ support for the ‘common cause’ was taken at a meeting held on Tuesday with NWFP Finance, Planning and Development Minister Sirajul Haq in the chair, according to sources.

According to the sources, the meeting decided that the NWFP government would make efforts to hold a meeting of finance ministers of all the provinces so that a joint strategy could be formulated to make the centre constitute the NFC and start its deliberations.

In two recent official communiques addressed to Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, Mr Haq had taken the plea that delay in announcing the new NFC award due to non-formulation of the commission had adversely affected the economic interest of the NWFP.

He urged the federal minister to set the new NFC in place to pave way for its meeting at the earliest. The meeting decided that efforts would be made to muster other federating units’ support over the issue.

The NWFP is of the view that the new award would benefit it even if the distribution of resources is made on the basis of the formula that had been prepared by the NFC constituted by the military government.