PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly on Monday saw an unprecedented unity as the government and opposition demanded the National Finance Commission (NFC) during the assembly session.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session is currently underway, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati. Today’s agenda has been suspended.
Member of the Assembly Ahmed Kundi proposed that, given the current situation, a detailed discussion of the NFC award be held. He requested the Speaker to suspend the agenda for this purpose.
Accepting the request, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced that today’s agenda is suspended and that only resolutions will be presented at the end of the session.
During the discussion, Speaker Swati asked government member Sajjad Barkwal about the definitions of “powerful circles” and “state.” Barkwal responded that the state, in the context of the NFC, receives the rights it seeks.
The Speaker then inquired who determines the NFC rate. Barkwal answered that the state decides how much share to allocate to each province, regardless of the governing party; the state makes the decision.
Continuing the conversation, the Speaker asked, “Who is this state?” To which Sajjad Barkwal replied that everyone knows the state refers to the establishment, the ruling circle.
At this point, the Speaker invited Ahmed Kundi to define the state according to the Constitution. Kundi, representing the PPP, provided the constitutional definition of the state as outlined in Article 7 of the Constitution.
Speaker Babar Saleem Swati explained that the state is not merely a military establishment; rather, it is an institution formed through the vote of the people. He noted that the military has been used as a tool from the East India Company through the British era, but the true definition of the state is found in the Constitution.
Addressing the assembly members, the Speaker emphasised that the state is the people themselves. He urged them to express their views and actions in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
