Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan opposed on Wednesday any reduction in the provinces’ share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, stating that such a move would be unconstitutional.
Speaking to the media at Parliament House, Barrister Gohar said meeting defence requirements was the constitutional responsibility of the federal government and should not come at the expense of the provinces.
He claimed the federal government had failed to introduce meaningful reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) over the past four years, adding that the depreciation of the rupee and economic mismanagement reflected its shortcomings.
Barrister Gohar said the government had not fulfilled its commitments regarding pensions, expenditure control and structural reforms. He added that effective reforms had also not been implemented in the retail, real estate and agricultural sectors.
He said shifting the financial burden onto the provinces amounted to an admission of failure by the federal government. Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, he said, reducing the provincial share was not constitutionally possible.
“What cannot be done directly cannot be done indirectly either,” he said.
Barrister Gohar said the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the custodian of public resources and would safeguard provincial interests.
He urged the federal government to reduce its own expenditure rather than placing pressure on the provinces to meet defence-related costs.
He said technical committees could not resolve a constitutional issue and noted that the federal government already retained revenue generated through the petroleum levy and various surcharges.
Barrister Gohar said the public was questioning why economic reforms had not materialised during the past four years.
He said the PDM-led government was the first administration to present a fifth budget and urged the federal government not to transfer the burden of its 'failures' onto the provinces.
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