KARACHI, Dec 27: All the four provinces are expected to get a 50 per cent share of the divisible pool of taxes which will be disbursed on the basis of multiple criterion—population, size of the province and backwardness.

This was stated by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Yousuf during a visit to the Dawn offices on Saturday.

Jam Yousuf indicated, on the basis of hints dropped by the federal government in two meetings of the National Finance Commission so far, that population was likely to be given 20 per cent weightage in the distribution of resources.

Distribution ratios for resources on the basis of size, backwardness and revenue generation capacity were also being worked out, he said.

The Balochistan chief minister, who was accompanied by senior officials of his province, thought that special subvention for the two backward provinces—Balochistan and NWFP—may be dropped if backwardness was made one of the criterion for resource distribution.

He said the finance minister of his province had met the Sindh finance minister on Friday to discuss royalty and surcharge on the gas issue. “We want the royalty ratio on gas to be raised,” he said.

He disclosed that the Balochistan government was setting up two markets for cross-border trade with Afghanistan and Iran at Chaman and Taftan and was in consultation with the federal government.

“We have earmarked a 100-acre plot at Taftan to develop this market on which Rs110 million investment would be made,” Jam Yousuf said.

The Balochistan government has prepared a list of specified items to be traded between Iran and Pakistan in the border market. This list has been sent to the Commerce Ministry for approval.

A similar project is underway near Chaman to facilitate border trade with Afghanistan.

Jam Yousuf said Iran was providing electricity in some parts of Mekran through Wapda. Iran’s electricity tariff is 12 paisa per unit. Wapda gets it cheaper but charges national tariff rate from consumers.

He said gas reserves at Sui were expected to be exhausted by 2030 and after that experts suggest that gas could be extracted from the same place with drilling at the same site.

The Balochistan Chief Minister replied to the questions on cancellation of residential plots in Singhar Housing scheme in Gwadar. He said these plots were