Government urged to grant complete autonomy to provinces

Former Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Hussain Haroon has asked Islamabad to grant complete autonomy to all the provinces, especially Balochistan, saying otherwise Pakistan is in danger of losing it's hold over the province.
Addressing a press conference here, he said, "We should talk to the Baloch and listen to what they say". Hussain said he had recently toured Balochistan along with former caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and former speaker of the National Assembly Illahi Bux Soomro and wherever they went they heard the slogan of "Azadi", which he felt meant that Baloch want independence from Pakistan. The former speaker added that when they met Sardar Attaullah Mengal he told them that he had handed over the movement to young people.
He said the federal and Balochistan governments had not lived up to the expectations of the Baloch people and added, "we can't keep Balochistan with us under force". He said a litre of water was being sold there at Rs 23 while a litre of Iranian oil was sold at Rs 22. "Whenever the government starts a project, hundreds of local people are displaced, which has increased feelings of deprivation among them," Hussain said.
Haroon said present democratic government has given nothing to the people. The politician also added that he did not see any funds being spent in the province on development, despite, what he termed the "tall claims of Musharraf". He added that Gwadar was deserted except for one or two hotels and that the hopes of Baloch in Pakistan have ended.
Haroon asked the establishment to stop the situation from worsening and suggested amending the constitution and handing over its second schedule to the provinces. He said full autonomy be given to provinces with the right to collect revenue and that it should be left to provinces to decide how much they give to the federation for expenses on military and others.
He said Baloch say they could get more if they were taken under the wings of India or Afghanistan than by being with Pakistan. The former speaker deplored that the federal government was trying to take the Thar coal reserves away from Sindh. He warned that the country could not survive without provincial autonomy. He asked the people of Sindh to join hands with Baloch otherwise they would repent. Haroon suggested that the present PPP government bring legislation in parliament to grant provincial autonomy.