By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan Wednesday urged all the provinces to fulfill their commitment for the provision of three percent of their National Finance Commission (NFC) share for the development of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA).
Replying to a Calling Attention Notice in National Assembly moved by Abdul Shakoor and others regarding non-provision of additional funds committed to the erstwhile FATA at the time of merger, he said all the provinces committed to contribute three percent of their NFC share for merged districts.
The minister said the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had so far contributed their due share in this regard and now Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have to fulfill their commitment.
Ali Muhammad said that he would talk to all the provinces regarding giving three percent extra share from NFC award to the people of tribal districts.
“In 2017 and 2018, when we passed the bill to merge FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, all the provinces had promised to contribute three percent of their share of the NFC as the tribal areas have been severely affected by terrorism,” he added.
The minister said the people of the tribal areas were asking the provinces to fulfill their promise as soon as possible as it was made by the State of Pakistan to the masses of the areas.
Ali Muhammad suggested that the matter should be referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.
He said that the federal government has given a total of more than Rs 270 billion during the last three years to the tribal areas. The federal government will do its best to convince the three provinces in the next NFC award meeting. In reply to another question, he said that when the decision for merger was taken in the House, the central leadership of all the provinces was present and they had signed the bill.
Responding to remarks made by some Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) members in the National Assembly about women, Ali Muhammad said that PPP women should condemn the words. “A woman who has nothing to do with politics should not be discussed here. We will not remain silent in the future,” he warned. In the past, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had cancelled the membership of her party member on a similar issue, the minister added.
