Country going to have a unanimous NFC Award after 19 years: Tareen

[LahoreEstate]

Federal Finance Minister, Shaukat Tareen has said that it is after 19 years that NFC Award issue is going to be decided and in this regard federal government has demonstrated historic flexibility. The federation wants to provide finances to provinces out of its share and impressed with this spirit, the provinces have shown accomodative attitude for each other which has paved the way for a “unanimous award”.
He was speaking at a dinner hosted by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah for the participants of 7th NFC meeting at Mohatta Palace here on Wednesday night. “We have, for the first time, created an atmosphere of trust between Federation and Provinces and showed seriousness for solving the year’s pending issues”. Shaukat Tareen pointed out that people live in provinces and with development of provinces, the center will be strengthened. He said that two issues are most important in relation to NFC, one distribution of resources between federation and provinces and secondly a unanimity is to be developed for resource distribution between provinces. He pointed out that it was after 19 years that we are working on NFC Award and, Inshaallah, the fruits of better distribution of resources would be felt at the grass root level.
Speaking on the occasion Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Shahbaz Sharif said that restoration of democracy had been due to the sacrifice of blood of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and she can be paid tributes by strengthening the democratic institutions. He recalled the agreement on Charter of Democracy reached between Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif and said that proved a milestone for restoration of democracy in the country. “If this charter is implemented with sincerity, the democracy then can be strengthened in the country,” said the Chief Minister of Punjab. He said that dictators ruled the country for around 10 years but two years have not passed of elected government that hue and cry is being created.
Shahbaz Sharif said that there is no significance of minus-one formula and if the nation has get united under the banner of democracy, then all these formulas would fail. He said General Parvez Musharraf spent 10 years only to save his uniform but did not take up work on Thar coal project, Lakha project and other power projects in different parts of the country as a result of which Pakistan was forced to beg from the world and to take loans against stringent conditions. He referred to grievances against the Punjab and said some of them are based on facts which would be redressed while some would be decided by history.

Chief Minister Baluchistan Aslam Raisani that Pakistan needs a new social agreement more than NFC Award to save it. He hoped that flexibility would be demonstrated to have unanimity on NFC Award..
Chief Minister NWFP Amir Haider Hoti said that nation will soon get a good news on the unanimity of NFC Award. He said that conditions in NWFP are precarious, but a sigh will be taken only after rooting out terrorism with national unity and harmony. “It is a good omen that a realization has developed in the country that the ongoing war is our own and not of any foreign world”. He thanked Sindh Government for the support and help given to IDPs of Swat and Malakand. He said that credit for success of NFC Award and establishment of a conducive environment for that goes to Shaukat Tareen.
Earlier Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah welcoming the guests said that it is after 19 years that way is being paved for a unanimous NFC Award for which all the provinces have shown flexibility and a spirit developed to solve each other’s problems. He said it is a historic day today that Chief Ministers of all the provinces have assembled here and resolved to solve the difficult situation in Pakistan. Qaim Ali Shah pointed out that the Award which was given 19 years back had been of a caretaker government that had no constitutional and legal authority to announce the Award. Similarly no province was satisfied with the Award given during the government of Parvez Musharraf. He said that since people live in provinces, their progress and prosperity would amount to the progress and prosperity of whole country. He said the Award will help allleviate poverty and also greatly help in reducing lacking equality between Provinces in the social and economic sectors
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