‘We do not want any more grants from Islamabad, we just want our due share in the national resources to meet our needs,' Mir Kurd said.
QUETTA: Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd has said that the province would not take any more grants from Islamabad as they do not need alms.
‘We do not want any more grants from Islamabad, we just want our due share in the national resources to meet our needs,' Mir Kurd said.
Kurd, while responding yet another question said that Balochistan also taking up the issue of its outstanding dues pending against Islamabad under the head of Gas Development Surcharge and royalty. ‘Islamabad owes Rs360 billion to Balochistan under the head of GDS and gas royalty,' he claimed.
He said that provinces wanted that the share of the federal government should be reduced to 40 per cent and 60 per cent of the resources should be distributed among the federating units. He said that this issue would also be discussed in the Quetta NFC meeting on October 12.
Kurd said that Balochistan would not retreat from its stance on the NFC award as the province has been facing injustices for the last 63 years. He said Balochistan would get Rs120 billion annually once its stance on NFC is accepted by all the stakeholders.
Speaking to newsmen after the Balochistan Assembly session, he said even the president and prime minister have admitted the injustices with Balochistan for the last several decades and have promised for compensation.
‘We will not retreat from our stance (on NFC award) at any cost. We have been subjected to injustices...how we can satisfy our people,' Mir Asim Kurd said.
He said that in the October 12 NFC meeting in Quetta, Balochistan would once again stress on its stand that indicators other than population should also be included in the formula for the distribution of national resources among the provinces.
He said that Balochistan wants its share in national resources on the bases of area, backwardness, scattered population and poverty. ‘Only population based distribution formula cannot resolve our financial problems.'
The Balochistan finance minister claimed that there was no hurdle in accepting Balochistan's stand on NFC as Punjab and other provinces also supported the province's suggestions regarding new indicators.
The provincial finance minister said that Balochistan had prepared a strong case for the Quetta meeting that would be presided over by Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. The finance ministers of Punjab and NWFP and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who is holding the portfolio of provincial finance minister would also attend the National Finance Commission meeting in Quetta.
Provincial Finance Minister dispelled the impression that other parties of the coalition government were not taken into confidence on the issue of NFC and said that all coalition partners were briefed many times on the issue. He said that all coalition partners were well aware about the Balochistan government's stand on distribution formula for next NFC award.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/13+balochistan+not+to+accept+grants+provincial+minister-za-07
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