ISLAMABAD, April 9: The Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) on Monday decided to give back fishery rights to the provinces. “Since fishery rights have been a provincial issue, therefore, these should be returned to the provinces concerned,” it said.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Salim Saifullah Khan said under the decision Punjab would get fishery rights over Chashma Barrage and the NWFP over Tarbela and Khanpur dams.

He said the issue of cash development loans on high interest rates taken by the provinces from the centre also came under discussion.

“Now, the provinces will have the liberty to repay their loans on their priority as their financial position has been strengthened,” he added.

The minister said the provinces’ sound financial position could be judged from the fact that Punjab paid back about Rs5.7 billion and the NWFP Rs12 billion.

Mr Khan said the government attached great importance to the law and order situation and decided to return personnel of the Frontier Constabulary to the NWFP. The FC was formed to secure border areas of the NWFP, besides assisting law-enforcement agencies of the province, he added.

He said certain issues like narcotics control, arms smuggling and car theft cases, equal representation to the provinces at all levels, proper training opportunities to media persons from the NWFP and arrangements for their foreign tours, water supply to Lasbela and at-source deduction matter by Wapda also came under discussion.

The minister said the government was working on the 18th amendment to give more rights to the provinces. The matter of 2.5 per cent GST on services as demanded by the provinces would be discussed in the next IPCC meting, he added.

The next IPCC meeting would be held in Balochistan by the end of May.—APP