Pakistan revives body for federal, provincial coordination

South Asia News

Pakistan revives body for federal, provincial coordination

Islamabad, July 7 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has revived a constitutional body to debate on federal and inter-provincial issues and find a way to tackle contentious matters between the federal government and the provinces.

To be headed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the body was revived on Thursday on the directives of the Supreme Court.

Named Council of Common Interests (CCI), it would have the four provincial chief ministers as members as well as three federal ministers from three provinces concerned with inter-provincial issues.

Somewhat akin to India's Inter-State Council, the members are to be nominated by the prime minister.

The ministers include Salim Saifullah Khan, minister for inter-provincial coordination, from North-West Frontier Province, Safdar Yar Mohammad Rind, minister of states and frontier regions, from Balochistan, and Ghaus Bakhsh Mehar, minister for narcotics control, from Sindh.

Addressing a press briefing, Shaukat Aziz said the CCI had been revived after several years to provide a constitutional platform to provincial representatives to freely express their views on issues of concern.

The News daily said: 'Not only the incumbent regime but also successive governments took a long time to realise the significance of the CCI in a federation.' The government and media analysts did not indicate after how many years the CCI was being reconstituted.

The Supreme Court in its verdict on the Steel Mills privatisation case had last month asked the government to revive the CCI. The privatisation process of the Pakistan Steel Mills was criticised and the deal scrapped.

Aziz said the president had approved his recommendations on reconstitution of the CCI, which is answerable to parliament.

The body is required to formulate and regulate policies in relation to matters in the Federal Legislative List and, in so far as it is in relation to the affairs of the federation, in the Concurrent Legislative List.

If the federal or a provincial government is dissatisfied with a decision of the CCI it may refer the matter to the parliament in a joint sitting, the decision of which will be final.

Pakistan has several long-pending disputes among the provinces and regions on sharing of natural resources, including river waters and gas. The CCI would be the forum where aggrieved parties, including the government, could make their appeals.

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Pakistan revives body for federal, provincial coordination