ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The parliamentary sub-committee on Balochistan held its long overdue meeting on Saturday, but the opposition and the Baloch nationalist parties boycotted the proceedings.

The sub-committee, headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad, decided to continue deliberations to finalise its recommendations for transfer of powers to provinces.

The sub-committee resolved that efforts would continue for bringing the opposition back to the negotiating table to develop a consensus formula on the precincts of provincial autonomy.

Inter-provincial Coordination Minister Salim Saifullah Khan said after the meeting that the government was left with a short period of time and “our effort would be to finalise and hand over our recommendations for legislation before the next year’s elections”.

Talking to Dawn, he said that a variety of recommendations had been made by political parties with some suggesting that the concurrent list be abolished and others favouring handing over 27 of its 47 items to provinces. One view is that some of the federal powers should also be transferred to the provinces, he added.

Talking to reporters, chairman Wasim Sajjad said the meeting had decided that technical aspects of provincial autonomy would be discussed extensively whether the opposition members took part in it or not.

He said the formula for provincial autonomy would be worked out keeping in view similarities in other countries, including India, Canada, etc.

He said that not only the sub-committee would take into consideration the People’s Party Parliamentarians’ bill on provincial autonomy -- which has been referred to the house standing committee -- but it would also discuss proposals submitted by opposition and nationalist members for incorporation in the final recommendations.

Mr Sajjad rejected a suggestion that the country’s solidarity was at stake, saying that whatever differences or misunderstanding persisted they were within the family which would be resolved through engagement.

Senator S. M. Zafar, a member of the sub-committee, said there was a general consensus that maximum financial, taxation and administrative powers should be transferred to provinces.