PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has vowed to strongly present the province’s case at the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting, which is set to be held today.
A preliminary consultative gathering for the NFC session took place chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi.
In the meeting CM Sohail Afridi was given an update on issues related to the NFC. Thorough talks took place concerning the provinces constitutional privileges, along, with a strong pledge to persistently advocate on all fronts to obtain KP’s legitimate shares.
The briefing emphasized that KP will vigorously and efficiently protect its interests, in the NFC session. Although the administrative unification of the FATA areas has been finalized the financial assimilation is still pending. According to NFC regulations the merged districts are entitled to Rs 1,375 billion, which has not yet been disbursed.
Speaking at the meeting CM Sohail Afridi mentioned that during the FATA merger the federal government had assured Rs 100 billion each year. This obligation has now totalled Rs 700 billion with Rs 168 billion released so far leaving Rs 531.9 billion outstanding.
He highlighted that leaving districts out of NFC allocations breaches Article 160 of the Constitution. Afridi guaranteed that KP’s financial and constitutional entitlements would be firmly defended.
The meeting was attended by senior PTI leaders Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Ali Asghar, among others. Finance Advisor Mazammil Aslam, Meena Khan Afridi, Chief Secretary, and Secretary Finance also participated.
NFC meeting today: Provinces to present financial briefings
The 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) session is scheduled for today, during which the four provinces will deliver 10-minute updates, on their conditions.
This meeting, led by Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will also feature the finance ministers and private members. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance will share its status during the event.
The main objective of the meeting is to arrange talks and establish a timeline for deciding the new NFC Award. Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stated that the meeting will include listening to the provinces issues and outlining the financial status in a cooperative spirit cantered on Pakistan First.
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