18th Constitutional Amendment: provinces threaten to take over Sports Ministry's departments

Provincial governments have threatened to take over all those departments of Sport Ministry within one month which have deliberately not been transferred by the Federal government despite passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment.
However, Federal government has asked the provincial governments that if they have any reservations/grievances on allocations, liabilities and assets of the Ministry, the provinces do have a Constitutional window, ie Council of Common Interest (CCI) available to them to readdress these grievances. Therefore, the provinces may, if they deem appropriate and necessary, move a summary to the CCI for any amendment to resolve the issues.
Senate Standing Committee on Inter-provincial Co-ordination met with Senator Ms Farah Aqil in the chair at Parliament House on Monday. Three Provincial Ministers for Sports along with Punjab Secretary of Sports Ministry on behalf of the Chief Minister, Sports Ministers of Azad Jamu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, Federal Minister for Ministry of Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani and other officials participated in the meeting.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah said that 16 months have passed after devolving the federal ministries but the provinces did not have anything regarding their assets and liabilities. He said that Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is running Pakistan Coaching Centers but there is no check and balance on it. He said that marriage ceremonies are being held in these centers. He said that these counters should be handed over to the provinces.
He said that the PSB does not consult or take provinces into confidence before making any policy relating to sports. Member of the Committee, Haji Ghulam Ali said that 90 percent cases of sports are lying in various courts. He said, "We want sports of all provinces under one umbrella."
Sindh Minister for Sports, Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, seconded the view of K.P Minister and said that the National Coaching Centers should be handed over to the provinces under 18th Amendment, but it did not happen so far. He claimed that these centers are being used for marriage ceremonies and hiring of multinational companies. Balochistan Sports Minister Mir Shah Nawaz Khan Marri also supported the other ministers and said that Balochistan did not get anything relating to Sports Ministry after 18th Constitutional Amendment.
However, the Secretary Ministry of Sports, Punjab said that the province should also make efforts for the promotion of sports and games. But the other provincial ministers severely criticised the PSB and federal government for not handing over departments and projects relating to sports, and releasing their funds to provinces. They threatened to take over all those departments of Sport Ministry by force within one month if the federal government did not transfer them to provinces despite the passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment.
While responding the provincial ministers, Federal Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani said that Implementation Commission on 18th Constitutional Amendment has completed the process of devolution in June 2011. If any province has reservations or issue bout devolution, it can approach proper forum CCI to resolve it. He said that he is running the ministry for one year and during this period no coaching center has been used for marriage ceremonies. He said that provinces had not written any letter to the federal ministry to give these canters under their administrative control so far. If they will write, the ministry will take it up at the proper forum. However, it is responsibility of the provincial governments to bring such issues through their chief ministers to the CCI for discussion.
About the funds, the Minister said that his ministry has written to the Planning Commission but it replied that each province got Rs 40 billion to Rs 130 billion under NFC award. So the provinces have received manifold more funds under NFC award and they should use them for running extra departments which have been handed over to them under 18th Amendment.