Provincial rights and oldage politics

Several members of the KP Provincial Assembly from the erstwhile FATA approached Peshawar High Court for the release of shares of the merged districts in the  National Finance Commission following the merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the details, 3% shares were granted to erstwhile FATA in the 2010 NFC award while its stoppage has disturbed local governments’ businesses, employees’ salaries, and delivery of services to the citizens. The petitioners pleaded with the court to order the federal government to release requisite funds at the earliest.

There has been a series of accusations between the Federal Government and KP leaders over the issues of no disbursements of KP’s Net Hydel Profit and 3 percent NFC share of Erstwhile FATA over the past eight months. KP Finance Minister accused the Coalition government of withholding Rs. 60 billion in the account of Net Hydel Profit (NHP) and not paying a single penny after assuming office in April last year. While the center also has to pay another Rs. 30 billion for the newly merged districts (NMDs) in respect of the 3% NFC award. According to KP authorities, the province only received only Rs. 8 bn out of Rs. 17 bn for the development projects in the tribal areas and the KP government was continuously paying the Sehat Card program expenses in tribal areas from the provincial exchequer. According to reports, the KP government had been facing severe fiscal constraints in meeting provincial expenditures and had been continuously demanding the release of its dues from the Federation.

Previously, the KP government was considering filing a petition in the Supreme Court to get its rights released from the center, however, after multiple moots of the provincial cabinet, the PTI-led provincial government moved regional MPAs in the lower court to put pressure on its political opponents ruling in the center. Historically, Pakistani politics had an old tradition of arm-twisting of their political opponents, while parties sitting in the federal capital commonly create problems for rivals governing any federating unit and vice versa. Although, the world has touched the moon and Mars but our leaders are still living in the 19th century and using tacts of the primeval age. In fact, Pakistani politicians must get rid of such kinds of politics and set new traditions of constructive and positive politics, so the country moves toward a better future.