The Oversight Committee on Implementation of the 18th Constitutional Amendment unanimously agreed in a meeting on Thursday that the issue of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s assets and antiques, lying at various parts of the country and the Heathrow airport in England, would be taken up at all national and international forums.
The meeting discussed the transfer of PTDC, Malam Jaba Resort, Paitham Swat, archeological sites, museum’s antiques, National Sports Board, Youth Centre to the provincial government. The meeting was told that the provincial government had noticed that the corporation had been kept in the privatisation list, which was unacceptable for the government. Participants expressed concern over the central government’s desire to keep the national sports board’s property with itself, adding that it was giving away useless property to the provincial government.
The meeting was told that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a centre of Gandhara Civilisation and had vast remains of Gandhara and Budha, Ashoka and Alexander. It was further told that 91 archaeological sites and 3148 antiques of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were with the federal government, therefore, these should immediately be handed over to the provincial government. The meeting was also informed that these antiques had been given for exhibition purposes and should have been returned to the provincial government.
Oversight Committee Chairman Iftikhar Hussain said the assets and antiques of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the province’s wealth and would be taken back at any cost. “We will raise our voice for it with the Council of Common Interests, Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, Foreign Office and embassies,” he said. He also directed the authorities concerned to take up this issue with the British embassy.