SUKKUR, Oct 22: Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Mujeeb Ahmed Pirzada has warned that the federation will face a serious threat if the provinces are not made sufficiently autonomous.

Addressing a press conference at the local press club on Saturday, he said that the government should do away with the National Finance Commission and authorise the provinces to collect sales tax and central excise duty, a step which would pave way for provincial autonomy.

In reply to a question about the islands’ sale, Mr Pirzada that the islands were Sindh’s property and the KPT or any other entity had no right to sell them. If the government did not withdraw the decision, it would be challenged in the Supreme Court like the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills as it smelt of large scale corruption.

He said that the apex court’s decision on PSM led to no confidence move against the prime minister, which failed unfortunately but the opposition would move another no confidence motion if the government did not lift an unannounced freeze on the opposition MNAs’ development funds.

Mr Pirzada said that his party PPP would not support a president in uniform in the next general elections. The 17th amendment had given President General Musharraf until 2009 to remain president but if the PPP clinched majority in the elections it would amend the amendment with the support of other political parties.

He opposed the direct installation of governors and said that the governors should be elected by the members of national and provincial assemblies and senate.

He said that a bill calling for declaring Sindhi, Punjabi, Siraiki, Balochi and Pushto national languages alongside Urdu had been moved in the national assembly. It enjoyed silent support of more than 40 treasury members including Muttahida, he claimed.

He slammed the government’s ban on teachers’ and labour unions and said the ban was in clear violation of the constitution, which had given all the citizens right to form trade unions.

He held the ministers, politicians and bureaucrats responsible for the decline of education in the province and said that the standard of education in Punjab was far better than it was in Sindh because the ministers and politicians did not much interfere in it.