QUETTA, Nov 10: Provincial Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay has said that stability of the country depends on fair distribution of resources according to the formula suggested by Balochistan, making area and backwardness the main criterion for the new National Finance Commission award.

Speaking during a general debate on Friday on an adjournment motion tabled by opposition member Abdur Rahim Ziaratwal in the Balochistan Assembly, he cautioned that discriminatory and oppressive policies of the government, depriving Balochistan of its just share in resources, would put the country's integrity at stake.

Maulana Wasay asserted that the announcement by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz of a Rs19 billion development package for the province was aimed at deceiving people. Such so-called packages could not fool the masses, he said.

He claimed that the package comprised funds announced earlier on different occasions for nazims, Gwadar, etc.

"The existing distribution of resources in the NFC on population basis is oppressive and it deprives the smaller provinces of their share in the national resources. We are treated in meetings in Islamabad like beggars, although Balochistan has a major contribution in the financial resources," he said.

He said it was a great injustice that when they demanded the province’s share and transparent distribution of resources, Balochistan’s representatives were dubbed anti-state or terrorist. The federal government should abandon this biased attitude, he said.

Maulana Wasay said the government must realise the gravity of the situation, recognise the rights of the federating units over their resources and grant full autonomy to the provinces so that should keep all portfolios except currency, defence, foreign affairs and communications.

Finance Minister Syed Ehsan Shah said Balochistan was facing a financial crisis as it had to borrow from banks to ensure the implementation of the Public Sector Development Programme.

He pleaded for distribution of resources in the new NFC award on the basis of population density.

He said the increase in the province’s share in the interim NFC award had not fulfilled its financial requirements.

He said that because of unfair distribution of resources the province had taken Rs54 billion debt from banks.

He said a Rs19 billion cash development loan obtained in 1988 for the Social Action Programme from financial institutions had proven disastrous for Balochistan as it had to pay Rs72 billion as interest.

He said the province had the right to get Rs15 billion as gas development surcharge but the federal government was paying it only Rs4 billion, while Sindh was being paid Rs10 billion under the head.

He maintained that Balochistan had Rs18 billion outstanding against the Sindh government for utilising water from the Hub Dam and Kirthar Canal.

He said the Balochistan chief minister would take up the issue with his counterpart in Sindh.

Mr Shah conceded that differences among the NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh were the main reason for the NFC award not having been finalised, which was causing financial hardships to the smaller provinces. Mr Ziaratwal said denial of autonomy to provinces according to the 1940 Resolution and depriving them of control over their resources was the root cause of exploitation by the dominant province.

The house witnessed the worst uproar during the question hour when Minister Maulana Dur Mohammad, during exchange of hot words between the treasury and opposition benches, dubbed National Party lawmaker Jan Muhammad Buledi as a follower of the a sect.

MPAs from the National Party, the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the People’s Party Parliamentarians demanded suspension of the minister’s membership.

MMA Ministers Maulana Faiz Mohammad and Maulana Noor Mohammad said that Dur Mohammad would withdraw his words and apologise if Mr Buledi said in the house that he was Muslim and not a follower of the sect.

The opposition members staged a walkout from the house when the minister did not tender apology despite Mr Buledi stating that he was a Muslim.