Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, a leader of PPP, said on Friday that the president's impeachment would be a priority for the coalition government once it gained the requisite strength in parliament. Talking to local journalists on by phone, Rabbani called the president and his remaining influence a "major destabilising factor for the coalition government".
Rabbani underlined the coalition government's resolve to sort out all the pending inter-provincial issues, adding that the current NFC award was not in accordance with the law and the constitution, as the president has no right to announce the award unilaterally.
He said that according to the constitution, only a commission consisting of members from all provinces was authorised to constitute the award and the president could only announce the award. Lambasting the PML-Q government's failure to reconstitute the NFC award despite promises, Raza said it was an unprecedented move to vest all authority in the president regarding the NFC award by the four chief ministers of the previous government.
He said the premier or the finance minister would announce the new NFC award within weeks as the provinces had been asked for their recommendations. He said the Council of Common Interest (CCI) would take up outstanding inter-provincial disputes, including issues regarding water. He said the CCI was answerable to parliament, and if any province disagreed with its recommendations, then they could bring the matter for discussion in parliament.