ISLAMABAD: The provincial ministers of Sindh and office-bearers of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday held two back-to-back news conferences in Islamabad in which they slammed the federal government for ‘not giving the province its due share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award’ and expressed concern over water shortage and approval of the ‘fraudulent census’ by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The first news conference was addressed by the president of PPP Sindh chapter, Nisar Khuhro, with provincial ministers Nasir Shah and Saeed Ghani at the National Press Club and then the same provincial ministers joined party’s central information secretary and MNA Shazia Marri at the second news conference almost on the identical issues at Sindh House.

Ms Marri said that under the Constitution a fixed portion of the NFC Award was given to the provinces. She said not only Sindh, but the other three provinces were also not getting their shares.

She claimed that Sindh’s share in the NFC Award was Rs770 billion and during the past 11 months, the province had received only Rs613bn whereas it should have got at least Rs690bn in the last 11 months.

Ms Marri said a “fraudulent and controversial census” was approved by the CCI. The Sindh government had approached parliament against the “fraudulent approval” of the census as Sindh had written a letter to the federal government, demanding a discussion on the issue of the census in a joint meeting of parliament.

Regarding water shortage in Sindh, she said water should be provided to the province under the agreed principle. She alleged that the federal government wanted to pitch the provinces against each other.

Sindh Information Min­ister Nasir Shah said if the Bahria Town management had committed any abuse, the Sindh government would stand by the victims.

Earlier, PPP Sindh president Nisar Khuhro in his press conference alleged that the federal government had decided to “kill Sindh economically” by not giving it due share in finances.

“If Rs200 billion is being added to the PSDP, what is the share of Sindh in it?” he asked. The annual share of Sindh’s ongoing schemes was Rs27bn from the federation which, he said, had now been reduced to Rs5bn.

He alleged that the federal government was not ready to give its share for the K4 water project.

Mr Khuhro said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had written a dissenting note to the federal government against the distribution of the PSDP.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2021