KOHAT, Feb 21: Senior Minister Siarj-ul-Haq of the NWFP has suggested that the federal government should release the share of the provinces in accordance with the NFC award and give provincial autonomy as guaranteed in the 1973 Constitution if it honestly wants to see financial discipline and development in backward parts of the country.

He regretted that the NWFP government was facing hardships in implementing its policies after the federal government backed out of its promise to pay Rs8 billion to the NWFP under the head of power royalty during the current fiscal year.

Speaking at a public meeting in Darmalak on Sunday, he said that the federal government owed the NWFP a huge sum of Rs 345 billion as royalty on electricity, which if released could change the fate of the poor people of the province and enable the provincial government to open the closed industries.

Mr Siraj, who is also the provincial finance minister, said that the NWFP has paid off Rs 10 billion out of Rs 70 billion debt in advance which it owed to the federal government and expected a similar gesture regarding its royalty.

Similarly, the province had cut down power usage in the government departments by Rs 27 million and now it was the turn of the federal government to control its non-developmental expenditure to spare funds for ameliorating the lot of the people.

He said that the province needed small dams to bring barren land under cultivation. To a question he said that Bhasha Dam should be built first on which all the four provinces had agreed.

"If the government honours our this demand we can consider the construction of Kalabagh Dam after the removal of some of the serious apprehensions of the provinces regarding its design," he added.

He demanded that gas from Gurguri and Shakardarra should be supplied to other provinces after meeting the NWFP requirement and similarly the government should also pay royalty on gas to the province.

Replying to the demands made in the welcome address he said that Rs 20 million had been sanctioned for the feasibility report of the Darmalak Dam work on which would start soon. Similarly, all other problems of electricity, water, education and health would be solved on priority basis.

He said that the West wanted to create chaos and divide the Muslim nations through its agents and advised the government to trust the power of the people instead of looking towards imperialists who had fundamental religious and political differences with Islamic states.

MNA Shabbir Ahmed in his speech said that MMA believed in politics of principles and had refused offers to accept the seat of prime minister and national assembly speaker because the president was following the agenda of the enemies of Islam.

He said that US was afraid of our gallant and professional Pakistan army which defeated a super power like Russia and helped Kashmiris therefore it was being demoralised and weakened under a well planned conspiracy. Launching of operations in Wana and Balochistan and handing over of airbases and other installations to the FBI was all part of this conspiracy.

He said that efforts were being made to bring all the component parties of the MMA at a single platform and reach some agreement over seat adjustments for the upcoming local bodies polls. To a query he said that with the present limited mandate MMA could not come up to the expectations of the people and fulfil promises made during elections.