HYDERABAD, March 23: Muttahida Qaumi Movement parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar has said that the Balochistan imbroglio has again highlighted the issue of provincial autonomy.

He said that the MQM, in its recommendations for resolution of Balochistan-related issues, had asked for abolition of the concurrent list.

He was talking to journalists at a reception hosted on behalf of MQM chief Altaf Hussain for party workers at the Qila ground here on Tuesday night. Thousands of party workers gathered to hear the telephonic address of Mr Hussain.

“It is a golden opportunity to resolve not only the Balochistan crisis but also the question of provincial autonomy,” said Dr Sattar. He said that disturbances in Balochistan had again highlighted the obsolete and outdated administrative system prevailing in the country.

He said that the MQM, as a part of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan, had proposed permanent solution to the problem and warned: “If the parliamentary committee proposes cosmetic solution to the problem, it will again raise its head in an ugly way.”

The MQM leader said that his party, being a coalition partner and a part of the parliamentary committee, had an important role to play and recalled that the MQM’s manifesto and programme were based on provincial autonomy.

He said that as long as constitutional and political reforms were not brought about, such problems would remain unresolved.

“Time has come for the centre to take the federating units into confidence because the claim of a stronger centre guaranteeing a strong Pakistan has proved wrong and even led to dismemberment of the country”, he said.

He pointed out that unrest prevailed in smaller provinces and said that it was high time to apply the formula of strong provinces for a strong federation. “People should be involved in decision making, constitutional reforms and legislation”, he proposed.

He said that like other parties, MQM had also put forwarded its recommendations on the Balochistan issue which would be consolidated in the recommendations of the committee.

He said that the Pakistan Muslim League had not called for abolition of the entire concurrent list as it wanted the centre to keep at least 20 subjects.

“The MQM is of the considered opinion that the concurrent list should be done away with and only three or four subjects at the maximum should be kept by the centre and the rest should be given to provinces as a part of a package of provincial autonomy”, he said.

He said that the MQM was not supporting the person of President Gen Pervez Musharraf but it was his policies which were being backed by his party.

“These policies of enlightened moderation are the best one given the global situation”, he said adding that the policies also guaranteed political and economic stability in the country.

About a government deal with the People’s Party Parliamentarians, he said that they had no objection if the PPP or any other party supported policies of the president and were ready to strike a deal with him.

He said that gone were the days when one party used to be an alternative to other and today no party could substitute any other party.

He said that circumstances demanded that the moderate forces should evolve a consensus and unite on one platform.

Referring to the Kalabagh dam and Greater Thal canal, he said that the MQM had expressed reservations over the projects and the ruling elite must take into consideration the apprehensions of smaller provinces.