QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo on Wed­nesday called the federal government to play its role in addressing a wheat shortage and financial crisis facing the province, insisting that a shortfall in the projected National Finance Commission (NFC) transfers for the current financial year had aggravated the problem.

The chief minister made these remarks while talking to provincial ministers about the financial crisis and shortage of wheat in the province.

He said that all allies had been taken into confidence in this regard.

Mr Bizenjo noted that Pakistan Petroleum Limited owed Rs34 billion in arrears to Balochistan and urged the prime minister to take interest in taking the province out of the current situation.

Provincial finance minister meets Ahsan Iqbal, discusses shortfall in NFC share

“We have told the federation repeatedly that we are not begging but asking for our share projected in the NFC award,” he said, adding that if the financial crisis was not resolved, the Balochistan government would be unable to pay salaries to its employees and provide funds for development projects.

The chief minister said Punjab had promised to supply 600,000 sacks of wheat and hoped that it would fulfil its promise.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Finance Minister Zamarak Khan Piralizai met Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Federal Finance Secretary Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the financial crisis being faced by the province and its NFC share.

Official sources said Mr Piralizai informed the financial and planning managers at the Centre that Balochis­tan received Rs11bn less from the protected share of NFC in the previous financial year.

He said that the province faced a Rs32bn shortfall this year, as it had received Rs125bn from the federation by December against a projected payment of Rs157bn.

The federal planning minister assured the provincial minister of full support for solving the financial problems of Balochistan and the immediate release of Rs6bn to bridge the financing gap.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2023