ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), Friday, deliberated on the issue of delay in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and recommended for taking it up as an agenda item of the Council of Common Interest (CCI).

A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Senate on Inter- Provincial Coordination was held under the chairmanship of Mian Raza Rabbani. Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, Gurdeep Singh, Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar, Irfanul Haq Siddiqui, and Rana Maqbool Ahmed attended the meeting.

The meeting held in-camera detailed discussion and prepared a work plan for the standing committee for the next eight months. The committee decided to take up the dispute between the provinces with reference to the distribution of water.

It further decided to discuss the formation and functioning of the permanent secretariat of the CCI. The parliamentary panel decided to discuss the issue of the delay in the NFC Award and recommend that the said issue be taken up as an agenda item of the CCI.

A detailed review and working of Article 158, Constitution, 1973, pertaining to the priority of requirements of natural gas would be taken on agenda. It further decided of a detailed review and working of Article 161, Constitution, 1973, pertaining to natural gas and hydroelectric power.

The committee decided for a detailed review and working of Article 172(3), Constitution, 1973, pertaining to the share of the provinces in the natural resources. Further it was decided to review the decisions and status of implementation of the decisions taken by the CCI with effect from the year 2008 in detail and to study ways and means through which Inter-Provincial Committee can be made a vehicle of dispute identification, resolution, and coordination of policy.

A detailed briefing of the issues confronting the Pakistan Sports Board, the Board for control of cricket in Pakistan, the Football Federation and the Hockey Federation of Pakistan would be carried out during the upcoming meetings of the committee. The parliamentary panel also decided to ascertain the status of the restoration of student unions in the light of the report of the committee of the whole, Senate of Pakistan, from the provincial governments and also the federal capital territory.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021