Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has said that the present government would make NFC and water issues sources of inter-provincial harmony and strengthening of the federation.
He was addressing a 67-member delegation of the participants of National Security Workshop, organised by National Defence College, led by College Commandant Lieutenant General Tariq Waseem Ghazi at Governor House on Friday.
The Governor said that these issues had been made extremely controversial in the past and had been used against inter-provincial harmony.
The present government opened these issues in guidance of President Pervez Musharraf and evolved interaction at every level, he added.
He said that currently interim Provincial Finance Award is being implemented in the province and within one month PFA would be finalised.
There was progress with regard to NFC by inter-provincial reconciliation and harmony and it is being tried to reach an agreement for fulfilling the needs of the provinces under the award by combination of population, resources, and backwardness.
However, decision was the real thing in that regard, he added.
He said that President Musharraf has also constituted parliamentary and technical committees to resolve the water issue which are moving forward expeditiously and taking suggestions from people and are interacting with them at every level.
He said that the Kalabagh dam issue has not remained like it was in the past and installation of telemetric system, shifting of Irsa offices to Islamabad and, after better representation of Sindh in Irsa, the situation has changed.
He said that eradication of poverty is concealed in better management and distribution of water and modernisation of irrigation system because a large part of population, which is poor, lives in rural areas which depends on agriculture.
Ibad said that all decisions of government are linked to elimination of injustice, with provinces and promotion of inter-provincial harmony.
He said that many projects are underway to enhance water supply to Karachi. Referring to K-3 water supply project, he said it would provide 100 million gallons water daily to the city.
He added that besides this, steps to stop water wastage and de-silting efforts are being made with co-operation of private sector.
He said K-4 project is under consideration to cater the future water needs.
He said President Musharraf was paying special attention towards resolving the problems of Karachi.
General Ghazi said that Sindh Governor, besides other priorities, was paying particular attention to urban-rural harmony.