KARACHI, Feb 4: The Sindh government has not been able to select one candidate out of three retired bureaucrats to be nominated on the National Finance Commission to replace Abdul Karim Lodhi who resigned in the first week of December 2004 in protest against what he alleged federal government's authoritarian attitude in dealing with the commission.

Almost a month ago, the finance department is reported to have proposed three names - Salik Nazir, a former finance secretary, who finally held the charge of chief secretary of the province; R.A. Akhund, a former additional chief secretary of planning and development; and Nazar Shiekh, also a former finance secretary, who was involved with PPP Chief Minister Abdullah Shah, and adviser on finance Asad Ali Shah in the NFC.

Officials say that the final selection of one name from the three or any other name for the nomination on the NFC has to be made by the chief minister and the governor. But for no apparent reason, there is no report as yet if the chief minister and the governor had any time discussed this issue.

"The chief minister's table is a graveyard of all the files," a Muttahida minister in the Sindh cabinet told Dawn. One more minister and an adviser belonging to the Muttahida expressed the same views about the Sindh chief minister, blaming him for piling on the maunds of files.

An official at the NFC Directorate in Islamabad bursts out when reached through telephone to seek information about the NFC composition and expected scheduled date of meeting. "Why don't you ask the Sindh government that should have proposed the name of a substitute member a month ago," he said angrily.

Sindh is suffering the most because of status quo position in resource allocation, as the NFC has not been able to come out with any award for the last three years. Sindh has been demanding, off and on, for early convening the NFC and a quick consensual decision.

The resignation of Abdul Karim Lodhi was in fact a protest against what he accused Islamabad of treating the NFC its handmaiden and a tool to keep provinces deprived of their rightful share in the resources. But now the Sindh government is being held responsible for delaying the formation.

In Karachi, Sindh Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad, Finance Secretary Israr Malik and Additional Secretary Naheed Durani are not ready to come even on telephone to discuss the NFC issue. But a conversation with a few ministers and advisers suggested that the responsibility lies with the chief minister who has not even discussed the issue.

Whenever the Sindh government will propose alternate name for the NFC, the prime minister and the president will take some time to endorse it and finally the NFC directorate will take some time in issuing a notification for the name on the NFC and holding of the meeting.

Officials in the Sindh government are now convinced that their budget making for 2005-06 will be on the assumption that they would get their financial share in the federal taxes pool on the basis of 1997 award. Following the decision of the Sindh cabinet to give 40,000 new jobs, the Sindh finance minister is under immense pressure.

The pressure on Sindh's meagre resources is also coming from the increasing demand of all the partners of the Sindh coalition government who want funds for the development schemes in their areas. For the first time in the history, 45 per cent of the annual development programme incorporates new schemes.

Normally, the development outlay every financial year includes hardly 10 to 12 per cent new schemes and bulk of the funds is utilized to complete the ongoing schemes. Since the announcement of budget in June 2004, the Sindh finance minister has not informed the media of the financial position of the province.