New provinces issue: ANP to oppose unconstitutional step

Pakistan

New provinces issue: ANP to oppose unconstitutional step

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The ANP says that no unconstitutional step should be taken for formation of new provinces.

08 June,2012 09:48 pm

Speaking on the floor of the house during the budget session of National Assembly, held on Friday, MNA from Awami National Party, Pervez Khan vowed to oppose any attempt of constituting new provinces that went against the constitution.He said his party struggled for changing the name of their province for sixty years but now the talk of constituting new provinces through casting votes only was going on. According to the ANP leader, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani brought the issue of Seraiki province into limelight to grab votes in the coming elections.Pervez Khan further said dearth of basic necessities in Karachi gave way to problems, whereas special package of Karachi should have been kept in the budget. Stating that Rupees 20m were needed for the construction and repair of barrages, however, the government had not allocated funds for the purpose. Pervez Khan said the present government should be congratulated for creating history by presenting fifth budget. He stated that the provinces were allotted 17 ministries after the passage of 18th amendment, which was a big achievement. The central government did not need to make budget for the ministries handed over to the provinces.Pervez Khan further said the problem of Afghanistan should be solved through negotiations. “We have been pulled into fighting in Federally administered Tribal Areas just for some pennies,” he added.MNA of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Abdur Rasheed Godial said on the occasion that Karachi produced 75 percent revenue for the country but the question was how much of this amount was being spent on the mega projects in Karachi. Godial asked where the funds for development budget were being used. He said transparent and fair expenditure on development projects could bring economic revolution in the country. He said once a project was completed, its condition after completion went miserable.Participating in the discussion, member of National Assembly from Pakistan People’s Party, Zafar Ali Shah said no elections in the history of the country have been fair and free, and asked why certain political sects were raising the issue of new provinces after four years of the tenure of the government had passed. There existed other issues like encroachment in his district in which the staff had formed a nexus with the encroachers, and mafia was grabbing land owned by the government, Zafar Ali Shah said.He gave reference of the statement of Country Director World Food Programme that more than 40 percent of the children of Sindh had to sleep each night without taking the meals, and if financial crisis continued, World Food Programme would have to stop operating in Pakistan.