 |
|
| |
|
|
. | ||
 |
| |
|
............................................... |
............................................... .............................................................. |
NWFP seeks CCI meeting*Published in Peshawar Newsletter on June 6, 1990 By mid June 1990 the prolonged spell of budget phobia is almost over as the Provincial Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao emerged an unquestionable sole spokesman of the provincial rights. The very speculation regarding the budget remained on the political scenario for almost a month before its announcement. As a tax free figure work it was presented in the house by the provincial finance Minister Enayatullah Khan Gandapur. Unlike the earlier reports the new budget is tax free and that is why every on the assembly floor was amazed as to the fact of its being welfare oriented. However, during the very debate on the budget, a just proposal was hard from one of the opposition member Fathe Mohammad Khan of Swat who was angry over the huge number of ministers included into the cabinet. He said that reducing the number of ministers will further the practice of austerity measures and provincial exchequer will thus be relieved of unnecessary burden. He even presented the statistical data to this effect and lamented the money being wasted for paying so many ministers and their advisors. He said that a cabinet comprised of 24 portfolios was by no means a good omen and it should be reduced to just eight ministers. On his suggestions the treasury members were seen asleep in the house while Begum Nasim Wali Khan, from the opposition side tacitly supported such a stand. As a whole her tone towards the treasury benches was a compromising one. This made many journalists in the gallery wonder if a new consensus was being underway between the government and the opposition. Frankly speaking the entire house has been supportive of the chief minister as because of his stand with the Federal Government on the provincial shares. And to decide over the issue he has correctly asked the federal government to call the meeting of CCI. Further Aftab Khan Sherpao has bravely mentioned to the federal government that since NWFP was the producer of Hydropower in the country therefore it should not be targeted to the load shedding tactics by the electricity department. And to this effect the house even passed a unanimous resolution that urged upon the federal government to stop the cruel and inhuman electric load shedding during the soaring heat of summer. Thus by all such means the chief minister has very correctly aired the feelings of the ordinary Pathans and in return has become an uncompromising number one in the province. During the week on June 21 as the PPP members in the city of Peshawar were busy celebrating the 37th birthday of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Mr. Farooq Leghari, Federal Minster of Water and Power arrived in the city. He met the provincial chief minister and had in detail talk over the issue of power shortage in the country that has forced the electric department to observe power shedding. After his meeting with the provincial boss, the federal minister held a press conference in local Pearl Continental Hotel to respond to a lot many questions of the journalists. He said that in fact the ugly load shedding situation in Peshawar was the result of burning down of a huge transmitter at Mardan and that now the same was being replaced by the one brought from Sukker. Farooq Leghari was plausible that within two years of present government rule the crisis of shortage in electricity was controlled and the present situation would be controlled by the first week of July. When asked for the reasons for not convening the CCI meeting Farooq Leghari responded that since the agenda of the said council was not yet prepared hence calling in session of the council would be serving no purpose. He said that according to the constitution agenda of the council for common interests (CCI) is to be prepared by the Inter Provincial Coordination Committee. The present NWFP assembly budget session will continue for some more weeks and finally when it approves the budget it will be sine die for the summer. Observers have hoped that by then the electricity shortage in the city of Peshawar will also be over. Presently the entire political activities in the province have been centered around the office of provincial chief minister. His budget proposals for a rise in the police and other low paid provincial civil servants has strengthened his position further. And to keep his image brighter with the public support he has correctly attended to the need of mass media. To this effect his party has launched a new Daily Nusrat from Peshawar. On the occasion of its inauguration, speaking before the PPP activists he said that journalists were eyes of the nation and as such they ought to do their duties honestly. He lamented those indulged in male practices and black mailing. Here it is worth mentioning that after the present government move to relax all bans on journalism the number of newly established dailies being published from Peshawar has reached to 54. On the federal level government is busy in privatization of the National Press Trust which means all those papers that are published under the government control will soon be handed over to private owners.
|
|
.......................................................... ..................................................................................................... ...... |
.
