RAWALPINDI, June 9: Punjab government adopted a flexible approach on the issue of National Finance Commission (NFC) award, said Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi here on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters, he said Punjab opposed any attempt to weaken the federation. The chief minister said he had talked to his counterparts in the other three provinces and requested them to decide the contentious issues on merit so that some sort of consensus could be developed.

It was decided that the provinces would not politicise the problematic issues, he added. Mr Elahi said Punjab would prove the common notion that it was the elder brother.

Quoting examples, he said when people of Sindh were facing wheat shortage, Punjab provided 50,000 tons of the commodity and when the issue of water shortage surfaced, Punjab sacrificed its share and gave it to Sindh.

He said we would have to develop a habit of responsible and national thinking for building a moderate and progressive society. He called for developing an environment where people shun prejudices and differences and respected each other.

On the issue of dams, he said there was a consensus that water reservoirs should be built as agriculture was the backbone of the country's economy. He warned that there could be a serious water shortage in case the matter was delayed for about another seven years.

"We should immediately start work on all dams, including the Kalabagh and Bhasha dams," he added. Mentioning the reforms initiated by his government, the chief minister said the objective was to develop infrastructure, improve the utilization of national resources, and welfare of the masses.

About the performance of the provincial assembly, he said it had done legislation against beggary, violence against women and useless and outdated marriage traditions. Similarly, he added, legislation had been done for rehabilitation of the handicapped.

Mr Elahi said the provincial assembly carried out record legislation during the last one year and passed 26 bills and not a single ordinance had to be enacted. He said steps taken in the education sector had led to a 10-15 per cent increase in school enrolment.

He said a revolving fund of Rs1 billion was being set up for rehabilitating the sick industries. Besides, new industrial estates were being established in collaboration with the private sector.