The industrial sector of Punjab will face severe consequences with the implementation of the 18th Amendment in the constitution, said All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) spokesman Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday.
Criticising the Punjab government, Fawad said because of the rulers’ incapability, the province was not receiving its due share in the country’s resources. He pointed out that load management of electricity and natural gas was the result of Article-270aa of the 18th Amendment which stated that the provinces generating and exploring resources would give electricity and gas to other provinces only after fulfilling their own requirements.
He said, “Punjab has been deprived of its due rights and the decision to commemorate Provincial Autonomy Day is ridiculous.” Fawad said Sindh government’s decision to impose a toll tax has raised the prices of goods coming from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Karachi Port and would cause severe consequences to the industry of both the provinces.
The APML spokesman said the incompetence of the Punjab government had caused the industrial hub to shift from Faisalabad to Sindh and in future thousands of people associated with the industrial sector would become jobless. Fawad said the 18th Amendment did not evolve any mechanism for distribution of resources among the provinces and this would fan disparity between the provinces in future.