Bilawal criticizes Centre for usurping Sindh’s share of NFC award

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has lambasted the PTI-led federal government for usurping the Sindh’s rightful share of the NFC Award.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi today (Monday), the PPP Chairman said that the Sindh has been deprived of its rightful share to the NFC Award till date. “We have been demanding our rights since ages,” he added.

He further said, “Last year, there was a shortfall of Rs116 billion in the NFC Award from Sindh and Rs200 billion this year,” adding that this injustice was continuously done to every province in Pakistan.

“The federal government is not willing to give the deserving share of the NFC Award that would increase the funds and resources, so that there can be an improvement in the lives of its people,” he added.

The PPP Chairman also said that whenever a country, having a presidential system or a parliamentary one, faces disaster the entire nation becomes one and manage resources to assist each other.

However, he said, our government offered no facilitation. “It’s our misfortune that when our nation is experiencing a pandemic, there are talks of taking away their rights and resources,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto also lauded the performance of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and thanked for its services in Karachi. “The Centre is playing politics on natural calamities and crises at a time when we and our people are in dire straits,” he added.

Commenting on the recently-passed bills, he said that the protest was about how these were steamrolled in the Senate committee and the members not given enough time to study the legislation or to give their suggestions on them.

“If Centre wished for the bills to be uncontroversial, then they should respect the process in the Senate so we can collaboratively save Pakistan from the FATF’s blacklist,” he added.

He termed Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Amendment Bill, Anti Money Laundering (Amendment) (AMLA) Bill, and the one on economic terrorism more important than the FATF bill.

Commenting on the BRT Project, he said that this was the same project that the Peshawar High Court had asked the NAB to investigate and that the KP government’s CMIT [Chief Minister Inspection Team] had highlighted had billion of rupees worth of kickbacks.

“The government is taking credit when Bill Gates lauded the virus-curbing efforts in Karachi. We don’t care since we only care about saving the lives of the people,” he concluded.