Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said on Monday that the federal government was reluctant to implement the 18th amendment in true letter and spirit, adding that the Centre was yet to devolve assets and functions of 10 ministries.
The chief minister made these remarks while talking to National Assembly’s Inter-provincial Coordination Committee led by Abdul Qadar Khan Wadan. Other members of the committee included MNAs Siraj Mohammad Khan, Sardar M. Shafqat Hayat Khan, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed, Madam Tahira Bukhari, Sabiha Nazir, Mohammmad Asim Nazir, Rafiq Ahmed Khan Jamali and Saeed Ahmed Manais.
The chief minister said that he was continuously pressing the federal government, had written letters to the prime minister and used the forum of Council of Common Interests (CCI) to get the assets and functions of the 10 devolved ministries to Sindh, but a little success had been attained so far.
Qaim was of the view that all activities mentioned in the concurrent Legislative List should be transferred along with assets to the provincial government on principle as laid down in Article 274 of the constitution.
Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Waseem gave a briefing to the NA committee.
He told the MNAs that the federal government had closed devolution sections set up in devolved ministries, adding that the assets/activities of 10 departments as mentioned by the chief minister had not been devolved to the Sindh government. “They are funding for provincial welfare programme, transfer of central warehouse of contraceptives, Karachi and National Institute of Fertility Care, Karachi to provincial Population Welfare Department. Devolution of Plant Protection Department, including standardisation of pesticides and fertilisers, seed testing and seed certification to Sindh Agriculture Department. Transfer of Evacuee Trust Property to Sindh Minorities Affairs Department; National Coaching & Training Centre Karachi and Youth hostels built in Karachi, Larkana and Jamshoro,”
The additional chief secretary said that the issues of Culture Toursim and Antiquities Department which remained unresolved were share of Sindh/other provinces in Museum Compensation Fund and Pakistan Culture & Arts Foundation Relief Fund. “Devolution of Central archaeological Library at Karachi, National Heritage Fund. PIDC assets like Motel at Hawksbay, Tourist Information Center Thatta, Motel & Tourist Information Centre, Moenjo-Daro and 32 canal land at Sukkur.”
Waseem said that despite the fact that the Sindh government had enacted the Zakat & Ushr Act 2011 the federal government was still collecting zakat. Similarly, the Sindh government had enacted the Sindh Employees Old Age Benefit Act, 2014, but the federal government had still not devolved the institution to the province. He said the federal government had to transfer Workers Welfare Fund projects such as 1,024 flats at Sukkur, 2,000 bed-surgical hospital at Sukkur, 512 flats at Shaheed Benazirabad, high school and a 50-bed hospital Choondko, district Khairpur and 128 flats at Sajawal.
Waseem said that the federal government instead of devolving some functions to the Sindh government had created livestock and fisheries wings. Giving some examples, the ACS (Development) said laboratory for detection of drugs residues in animal products Karachi had been created in Ministry of Commerce, Korangi Fish Harbour Authority and Office for Promotion of Deep Sea Fisheries Resources had been created in the Ministry of Ports & Shipping.
