Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award would not change without the consent of the provinces.
Speaking on Samaa TV programme "Nadeem Malik Live", he said that discussion on the 28th Amendment had not yet begun and no draft had been prepared. He added that political parties and provincial governments would be consulted on the amendment.
The information minister said the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back. He said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) local government demand was before the government. He maintained it was not possible to borrow money and allocate it for defence, and debate had taken place on whether the province with the largest population should receive the largest share.
He added that if funds continued to be allocated solely on the basis of population, the population would keep increasing. He said consultation with the provinces would take place on the NFC Award, education and local bodies.
He said people expressed their views on the creation of new provinces but no final opinion could yet be given. The prime minister had invited the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for discussion on the province’s issues. He said the government had spoken with allied parties over the 27th Amendment, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had sabotaged negotiations and dissolved the committee.
He was of the view that the PTI members had hurled abuse at female police personnel the previous day and no male police officer had approached them.
Tarar rejected claims that anyone had been pushed or dragged, asking whether any video evidence had been produced. He said female police personnel had asked for the route to be cleared and the PTI members had responded with abuse.
He said that the PTI had provided no proof regarding the previous day’s events and wanted to run the jail as a political camp. He added that if the PTI respected the law, the law would respect them. He said the PTI had spread hatred.
Speaking about Abraham Accords, Tarar said he had not heard any discussion in government circles regarding the Abraham Accords.
