Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani has termed the 7th NFC Award as an historic achievement in the history of the country as all the federating units unanimously agreed on the formula and there was no dissenting note on it. The Prime Minister was talking to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who called on him here on Saturday at the PM's Lahore residence.
The Prime Minister lauded the role of Chief Minister Punjab in reaching a consensus agreement on 7th NFC Award and said that the success of the Award is a fruit of the democratic process and reflects that the political leadership of the country is fully capable of resolving issues of national importance." A great milestone has been achieved in the form of 7th NFC Award, which will help in making the dreams of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah come true", he added. The Prime Minister further said that strong, prosperous and stable provinces would strengthen the federation.
Noting the fact, the Prime Minister said that for the first time in the history of NFC Award, Balochistan has been given due consideration." The gesture of the Punjab government in this regard is an act to strengthen the federation" he added.
The Prime Minister appreciated all the members of the committee for their hard work and commitment in making the Award a success and expressed the hope that new distribution of resources between Centre and provinces would go a long way for the progress and prosperity of the people of Pakistan and will usher in a new era of socio-economic development of the provinces.
Chief Minister Shahbaz thanked the Prime Minister for his continued support during the whole process of NFC Award and said that unanimity and maturity shown by the political leadership of the country was par excellence and hoped that the new Award, which is a fresh air for the provinces and a great achievement of the democratic government would help the provinces to earmarked more resources for the well being of the people.
Overall political and law and order situation also came under discussion during the meeting. Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister that Punjab government is fully alive to thwart any future terrorist activity, as effective security arrangements are in place. He thanked the Prime Minister for federal government support.