- Rabbani directs secretariat to send ruling’s copy to president, PM, CMs, ministers for necessary action
ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on Friday gave a ruling regarding the delay in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and directed the secretariat to send a copy of this ruling to President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and relevant ministers, chief ministers, and speakers of provincial assemblies for necessary action.
“I agree with the contention of the Law and Justice minister that historically the NFC awards have remained effective for more than five years, sometimes till 16 years. However, I am also conscious of the fact that the constitutional derailments and discontinuity of the parliament has also remained a factor in this regard,” he said.
Therefore, “without touching upon the merits of previous NFCs and their awards and disturbing the scheme of the present award, which remains effective, position will play a pivotal role in ensuring fiscal decentralisation and participatory federalism through enforcement of constitutional rights of the provinces,” he said.
The commission gets two years to submit its report after consultations with central and state bodies and a cross-section of the society; it becomes functus officio after completing its assigned work. A chronological order of the Indian Finance Commissions and awards from 1951 to 2015 was also shared in the ruling.