Two senators expressed their dissent on Wednesday over inter-provincial coordination on the issues of provincial rights and working of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
“Demands for provincial autonomy must not be viewed as demands for secession and demands for fair provincial share and protection of citizens’ rights are the best evidence of patriotism. Misconstruing it as demands for secession is unfair and unjust”, Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini of BNP-M said while speaking at an interactive session on Inter-Provincial Matters Coordination arranged by the Pakistan Study Group on Federalism (PSGF) at National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.
Senator Jamaldini pointed out that 81 out 84 Baloach chieftains had pledged their allegiance to the state of Pakistan in a meeting with former president Prevaiz Musharraf. He demanded provision of considerable share in mineral resources, fair gas prices and fair development of infrastructure to Balochistan. He also demanded better distribution of national wealth, saying that there had been unfairness in distribution of services and shares which had caused dissatisfaction, resentment and poverty in the province.
Senator Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari emphasized the need of taking devolution of power to the citizens through local government. He said that true spirit of devolution of power meant that power should not stop at federal or on provincial levels, but rather it must go to the citizens where it belongs.
Answering a question about performance of inter-provincial coordination mechanisms such as the Council of Common Interest, he said these institutions must fulfill their constitutional obligations in true spirit of devolution of power. He said that CCI must present its annual report before the parliament as soon as possible.
Responding to a question, Senator Mohsin said democracy was a process of on-job learning. The more work you do, the more you learn. He emphasized the need for people to people contacts by saying it is the people who weld nations together. The closer they are the stronger a nation gets. He asked for a compassionate coordination between various units of federation.
Later, talking to media, PSGF Head Dr Sajid Mahmood Awan said that peripheral voices should be listened to while establishing the narrative of federalism to strengthen the federation of Pakistan. He said that spectrum of inter-provincial coordination should also be extended through inter-human coordination across the country.
