QUETTA, Nov 29: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday renewed his appeal to President Pervez Musharraf to announce the National Finance Commission (NFC) award immediately and ease the financial hardship of smaller provinces.

Speaking at a press conference at the MPA’s hostel here, Maulana Fazl said that the NFC issue should not be delayed any longer as the four provincial governments had already empowered President Musharraf to decide the new award. “The longer the issue is left unresolved, the more critical the financial situation of the NWFP and Balochistan will become,” he said.

He said that larger provinces should be ready for a little sacrifice for the sake of smaller provinces like the NWFP and Balochistan.

According to Maulana Fazl, gas royalty is the basic right of the people of Balochistan and the federal government must accept the just demands of the province.

Noting that the Balochistan Assembly had adopted a resolution against the establishment of cantonments in the province, Maulana Fazl said the authorities should honour the resolutions approved by provincial assemblies.

He criticized the detention of political activists by intelligence agencies and torture of innocent people in secret cells and said this was against the constitution and fundamental rights of citizens.

“It is a serious breach of justice to avoid producing a political detainee in a court of law and not to prove charges levelled against them,” he said.

He regretted the fact that international human rights organizations were keeping quiet over violations of human rights in Pakistan “even though political workers were inhumanly treated in secret cells by intelligence agencies”.

Speaking about a Commonwealth resolution calling upon President Musharraf to decide on the uniform issue within two years, Maulana Fazl said the president had reneged on his pledge to quit as the army chief. “Two years is a long time. The president should not remain in uniform for a single day,” he said.

He reiterated opposition parties’ decision to steer clear of the parliamentary committee for quake relief and rehabilitation until the terms of reference sent to the prime minister were accepted.

He cautioned that opposition members would not accept unilateral decisions made from above and maintained that all decisions pertaining to relief work, rehabilitation and reconstruction of quake-affected areas in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP should be made through mutual understanding.

Asked what would the opposition do if the prime minister rejected its terms of reference, he said the opposition would continue its own relief work.

Briefing newsmen about Tuesday’s provincial shoura deliberations, he said that districts chiefs would be made in charge of the Al-Khair Trust to collect relief goods and cash donations from people for onward distribution in quake-affected areas.

He said that Al-Khair Trust would build 20,000 houses for affected families in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP. At present, however, the trust would establish 5,000 houses, he said.