Provinces have expressed their serious reservations over the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) meddling in their affairs and demanded of the federal government to take up issues related to provinces at the Council of Common Interest (CCI) forum rather than the ECC, it is learnt. According to the sources, the chief ministers of the Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K.P) and Balochistan expressed serious concerns over the decisions of the ECC and asked the federal government to present the issues relating to the province in CCI for resolution.
The sources said that provinces also urged the federal government to set up a full-fledged secretariat of the CCI. Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Co-ordination also discussed the role of CCI in its meeting held with Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed Muhammad Shahi in the chair at Parliament House on Wednesday. Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Senators Sassi Palijo, Hamza, Liaqat Khan Tarakai, Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail and others participated in the meeting.
The Standing Committee recommended that the federal government should establish a separate secretariat for CCI and to ensure the representation of all provinces in its staff. While raising the issue of CCI, Sassi Palijo said that the CCI has no secretariat and there is a need of a full-fledged secretariat for it. She said that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) should also be brought under the CCI.
Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Co-ordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada also said that a separate secretariat should be established for the CCI. He said that foreign countries sign any agreement relating to health, education, agriculture, petroleum and other with the provinces through his ministry. He said that his ministry co-ordinates with the provinces for any international programs. He said that railway tracks and gas pipelines are laid in the domain of the provinces. The best solution of such issues is the establishment of a secretariat of the CCI, he said.
A member of the Committee, Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) while talking to Business Recorder after the meeting said that "many decisions relating to the issues of the provinces are being taken by one man [Finance Minister Ishaq Dar] in the ECC while ignoring the CCI forum."
While terming the decision of the ECC a one-man show, he said that there is a need of representation of all provinces to take decisions relating to provincial issues and for this purpose, the CCI is its forum. He said the federal government should establish a secretariat for CCI. He said that federation would be strengthened and we would remain away from the blame-game if we take decision in the CCI. He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project is a game changer and small provinces have some reservations on it. He said that this issue should also be discussed in the CCI to remove the reservations of the provinces.