KARACHI, March 13: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has put forward its five- point draft of recommendations on provincial autonomy that also includes drafting a new constitution, if necessary.

The MQM draft came under consideration at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan on Saturday.

Signed by Senators Babar Khan Ghauri and Mohammad Ali Brohi, the draft demands that all four provinces be given ‘total autonomy’ at this crucial juncture where provincial autonomy for Balochistan is being considered.

The MQM is of the view that the centre should keep only three subjects — defence, foreign affairs and currency — while ensuring equal representation of all federating units in these subjects to alleviate the hegemony or sense of alienation in any federating unit.

While keeping these subjects with it, the centre should genuinely devolve all rights and powers to the federating units, enabling them to become self- functional, it has suggested, adding that the federating units should also have powers to execute contracts with corporate sectors and bodies at national and international levels.

The MQM also stresses that the centre and the federating units should mutually evolve a formula for contribution towards maintaining the federation. This would also relieve the centre of the burden of distributing finances among provinces and empower the latter to utilize their natural resources and wealth to the benefit of their respective population.

It has also proposed that in order to accomplish the above-mentioned objectives, the committee should find ways and means to cohesively incorporate appropriate amendments to the 1973 constitution. However, if undertaking such an exercise within the framework of the constitution proves difficult, then it would become prudent for the committee to recommend the framing of a new constitution fully incorporating the changed realities of the federation of Pakistan.

Referring to the issue of the persisting conflict between the centre and federating units, the MQM has maintained that it is imperative that the issue of Balochistan’s autonomy should not be considered in isolation.