LARKANA: Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the Sindh president of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Sunday announced that the party would launch province-wide campaign next month against federal government’s attitude towards provincial autonomy and the National Finance Commission.

Speaking at a press conference at the local press club, he said PPP would resist tooth and nail the PTI-led government’s moves with regard to the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the NFC award. Rallies and demonstrations would be held at district level across the province to condemn the federal government’s moves on the subjects.

He did not give an exact date for the launch of the campaign but hinted that it would be as vigorous as was the campaign against Kalabagh dam.

“I intend to meet opposition lawmakers in Sindh and also convene their meeting to discuss the issues threadbare,” Mr Khuhro said, adding in categorical terms: “We will not sit indoors if the federal government tampers with the 18th Amendment”.

Commenting on the Supreme Court verdict giving the control of the JPMC (Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre), NICVD (Nat­ional Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and NICH (National Institute for Child Health) back to the federal government, Mr Khuhro argued that the Sindh government had expanded services at the NICVD and enhanced its budget from Rs800 million [when it was under the control of federal government] to Rs18 billion in the light of the 18th Amendment. “Around 150,000 angioplasties and 500 bypass operations have been conducted at the NICVD; its performance is supreme; so much so that its performance is reflected in the Guinness Book of World Records,” he claimed.

He repeated the PPP stance that it would file a review petition against the SC verdict.

Regarding the NFC Award, Mr Khuhro apprehended that cuts in provinces’ shares would be effected, and claimed that the federal government was behind such moves. “Constitutionally, government could not slash provinces’ share in NFC award,” he said. He condemned centre for “hatching a conspiracy against the 18th Amendment.

He deplored that like the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had also put it [NFC Award] on the back-burner.

Observing that the federal government believed in a centralised system, he remarked, “more water has flown under the bridge”.

The senior PPP leader was also critical of the recent decision taken by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) to do away with the repair and renovation schemes of Sukkur Barrage.

He said that he, representing the Sindh government at the forum, had opposed the move on the grounds that the not only the entire scheme had been approved, but also the budget for it was allocated. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Khusro Bakhtiar after shelving the scheme, said that it would incorporated in the ECNEC scope next year, said Mr Khuhro.

Now the Centre was also reluctant to build Nai Gaj dam though this project was initiated and approved by the federal government itself, he said.

The dam was designed to irrigate 28,000 acres of Kohistan, a remote area, he said.

“Federal government is ready to generously fund road building schemes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and train projects in Punjab but it is ignoring schemes of Sindh,” he noted.

Mr Khuhro said PPP would reject the upcoming mini budget which might be based on the advices of the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority and aimed at extorting the public through price hike.

In reply to a question, he said PPP had already expressed its reservations over extension to military courts.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019