PESHAWAR, June 27: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Wednesday said his government had not agreed to a proposal that President Pervez Musharraf should decide on the controversial National Finance Commission Award at the cost of provincial resources.

Speaking on a point of self-explanation at the floor of the new assembly building, Mr Durrani said that after the four provinces had failed to evolve a consensus formula for a just distribution of national resources, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan ‘unconditionally authorised’ to the president to decide on it.

The chief minister said he disagreed with the proposal and refused to empower the president to take a decision about the destiny of 20 million people of the province. He said that President Musharraf mentioned that the NWFP had not authorised him to decide on the NFC award.

Mr Durrani said: “We have stressed that area, population and backwardness should be made basis for the distribution of resources.”

He said representatives of the four provinces could not reach a consensus because of the ‘unacceptable’ stand taken by the Sindh finance minister who was of the opinion that the revenue generation should be accepted as a yardstick for the distribution of resources.

“It was unacceptable to the remaining three provinces,” the chief minister said, adding that the NWFP had been assured that the prime minister would talk to the self-exiled MQM chief on the issue but nothing had happened.

Earlier, Abdul Akbar Khan of the People’s Party Parliamentarian drew the attention of the chair to the NFC award given by the president and sought a ruling on the matter. He said it had been agreed that the centre would release 50 per cent of the resources to the provinces and then all the four provinces would have to evolve a formula for the distribution of resources.

He said it was an ‘unconstitutional’ (NFC) award which had not been issued in accordance with the Constitution. Mr Akbar said the president could not amend the award once it was announced.

“The federal government has transferred us our share of the resources under the controversial NFC award. It means that our entire budgetary exercise is illegal,” he added.

He said the distribution of resources between the centre and the provinces had not been decided and, therefore, it was an unconstitutional award.

The PPP member asked the chair to give a ruling on the issue. The speaker said that since it was an important issue he had decided to reserve his ruling on it.

Speaking on the supplementary budget, Israrullah Khan Gandapur of the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao) said it would be better to call it an excess budget statement.

He said: “In 2003-04, our ADP was of Rs12 billion, while today (2007-08) our supplementary budget is Rs13.7 billion, which has been showing an upward trend since this government has come to power.”

Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party asked the house to adopt ‘a resolution against the centre’s step-motherly’ treatment to the province. He opposed the huge allocation for the police department which, he said, had failed to restore peace to the province.

NWFP Irrigation and Power Minister Akhtar Ali informed the house that his ministry had sent a Rs21 billion PC-1 of different schemes to the centre but so far no progress had been made on these projects.

Earlier, the lawmakers congratulated the chair for holding the assembly session in the new building.

Chief Minister Durrani deplored that soon after the military takeover, the rulers had tried to covert the assembly hall into a military court, but the political parties had opposed it.

He said the rulers converted the MPAs Hostel into a police station which should have not happened. He said the provincial assembly reflected the aspiration of 20 million people of the province.

The speaker adjourned the house till Thursday.