The coalition government of ANP and PPP in NWFP is more vigorously pursuing the case of the net profit on hydropower generation both at judicial and political front in the country.
"The provincial government is pursuing the petition of the provincial government filed by the previous government of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) in the Supreme Court of Pakistan," a senior official of the finance department told Business Recorder on the condition of anonymity.
He said the provincial government is struggling for the uncapping of the amount in head of net profit on hydel power generation both at judiciary and political front. He was optimistic that the present government would succeed in getting the due rights of the province from the federal government.
The previous provincial government for the resolution of the long-standing dispute with Wapda agreed to set up former Justice Ajmal Mian-headed arbitration tribunal over the matter.
The tribunal comprising four members included Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad, Javed Akhtar, Abdullah, and Manzoor A. Sheikh with the government of NWFP as claimant/respondent versus Wapda. The tribunal after hearing the views of both the NWFP government and Wapda announced its award entitling the former to recover Rs 110 billion in five equal instalments from the latter.
The first instalment was payable within three months from the date of the award. The nationalist ANP having a long struggle for provincial rights in his credit is heading the coalition government in NWFP. NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, in his inaugural speech on the floor of the NWFP Assembly after his election as leader of the house, pledged launching a more vigorous struggle for the rights of the province.
NWFP generates only 10 percent resources for its annual budget and it depends on the shares from federal divisible pool and foreign assistance of the donors. Since 1991, it has been receiving only Rs 6 billion from Wapda in head of net profit on hydropower generation.
President General Pervez Musharraf announced the present National Finance Commission (NFC) Award after the failure of the federating units and the federal government on formula for distribution of resources.
With the PPP-headed coalition government in the center, the senior officials of the provincial government are optimistic about the increase in the share of the provincial government in the federal divisible pool. The provincial government, according to a senior official, had already received Rs 4.5 billion in head of the net profit on hydel generation from Wapda. The instalment of the last quarter is due to be paid before the end of the current financial year.