Leaders of the Tehreek Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) on Monday criticised the federal government’s financial and water policies, alleging that constitutional rights of the provinces were being undermined through proposed changes to resource distribution, federal grants, petroleum levy arrangements and controversial water projects.
Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club, TTAP Vice Chairman Syed Zain Shah, Sindh Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Haleem Adil Sheikh, former Sindh governor Zubair Umar, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Abdul Rab Durani and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen leader Allama Sadiq Jafri criticised the government policies and warned of mass movement against water projects that could undermine Sindh’s interests.
They announced that if the provincial constitutional rights were not restored, a broad-based political, democratic and public movement would be launched across the country. The TTAP vice chairman said the federal government had launched an assault on the constitutional rights of the provinces. He added that any reduction in the provincial shares under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award would be unacceptable.
He alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had jointly paved the way for granting extraordinary financial powers to the federation by reducing the constitutional share of the provinces.
Shah alleged that Sindh’s resources were being appropriated through federal grants, provincial surplus mechanisms and petroleum levy collections, while attempts were simultaneously being made to deprive the province of its rightful share of water.
He said Sindh was already facing acute water shortages, degradation of the Indus Delta and an agricultural crisis, and that any additional projects affecting downstream water flows would inflict irreparable damage on the province’s economy and farming sector.
The TTAP vice chairman further alleged that after the proposal for six new canals, efforts were now under way to construct a new dam on the Chenab River. He claimed that the PPP was also supporting the initiative and alleged that the project was linked to plans aimed at developing and expanding agricultural settlements in Cholistan.
He criticised the Sindh government for reducing allocations for agricultural research, claiming that funding for research activities had been cut by 57pc in the provincial budget.
The Sindh PTI president said protecting public rights was essential for overcoming the country’s political and economic crises. Sheikh claimed that Sindh had received more than Rs33 trillion in budgetary allocations and resources during the past 18 years, while allegations of financial irregularities and corruption exceeding Rs.12.5 trillion had surfaced through audit reports and development projects.
According to Haleem Adil Sheikh, more than Rs4 trillion had been spent on education during the past 18 years, yet over seven million children remained out of school and more than 12,000 public schools were either closed or non-functional.
He alleged that despite spending exceeding Rs2.5 trillion on health care over the same period, public hospitals continued to face shortages of medicines, doctors and basic facilities. The PTI leader said over Rs2.2 trillion had been spent on law and order, yet citizens from Karachi to Kashmore remained vulnerable to criminal gangs, armed robbers and deteriorating security conditions.
Warning of public unrest, the PTI leader said attempts to deprive people of their rights, resources and water could trigger a strong political response. He also criticised the registration of cases against political workers who protested against inflation on April 7, saying public voices could not be suppressed through legal action.
The government formed on the basis of illegal Form 47 was “sitting on a volcano” and could face a severe public backlash if pressing public issues remained unresolved, he warned.
