ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Mian Raza Rabbani has alleged that Islamabad at the behest of the ‘centrist mindset’ and International Monetary Fund (IMF) is trying to circumvent the provisions of Article 160(3A) of the Constitution which provide that the share of the provinces in National Finance Commission (NFC) Award shall not be less than the share given in the previous Award.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Rabbani said that the IMF and the centrist mindset were unhappy with the vertical distribution of 57.5 per cent of the divisible pools to the provinces.

“They, in fact, want to reduce this amount by at least 10 per cent, therefore, they are finding ways and means to circumvent Article 160(3A),” he said, adding the federal government “is placing demands on the provinces to contribute in the development projects in the erstwhile Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Gilgit-Baltistan and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

PPP senator says provinces being asked to make a contribution to projects such as BISP and Higher Education Commission

“They are also asking for contribution from the provinces for the maintenance of the security force for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and in the overall internal security in terms of terrorism,” he said, adding “these are methods of funding federal projects with the resources allocated to the provinces and reducing their allocation from the previous NFC Award.”

Mr Rabbani, who has served as the Senate chairman, said that provinces were reportedly being asked to make a contribution to federal projects such as Benazir Income Support Programme and Higher Education Commission. He said such circumventions of constitutional provisions dealing with and pertaining to provincial autonomy had been done in the past as well, their result had been disastrous as it had affected constitutional governance and created polarisation between the federation and the provinces and the provinces themselves.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2019