Gandapur urges President Zardari to convene 10th NFC meeting
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has written to President Asif Ali Zardari, urging him to immediately convene a meeting of the 10th National Finance Commission (NFC), citing constitutional and financial concerns linked to the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into K-P.
In his letter, Gandapur emphasised that following the 25th Constitutional Amendment, the 5.7 million residents of the erstwhile FATA are now officially part of K-P. However, he stated that the financial resources allocated to these regions remain under federal control, according to Express News.
'The seventh NFC Award was issued in 2010, and no adjustments have been made to reflect the changes brought about by the 25th Amendment,' the chief minister wrote. He argued that continuing the seventh NFC Award without such revisions is "unconstitutional, illegal, and inappropriate."
Gandapur asserted that extending the current NFC Award violates Article 160 of the Constitution as well as the provisions of the 25th Amendment. He said the extension of the outdated award is unacceptable to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who have not received their rightful share of resources.
Calling for immediate action, he urged the president to ensure that the 10th NFC Commission meeting is convened without delay.
He warned that the denial of constitutionally mandated rights to the merged districts is obstructing development and efforts to establish sustainable peace and stability in those areas.
He also demanded that the federal government begin allocating financial resources to K-P based on the revised population figures, which now include the merged tribal districts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
K-P rejects operations, Taliban distinction
Listen to article The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has strongly opposed any military operation within the province, categorically rejecting the distinction between "good" and "bad" Taliban and denouncing the use of "drone strikes' on its territory. The provincial government's announcement came as K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur addressed a media briefing after hosting an in-camera All Parties Conference (APC) at the Chief Minister's House in Peshawar. The conference was attended by members of the provincial cabinet, MPAs, and representatives of various political parties, including JI, JUI-S, PTI, QWP, and PTI-Parliamentarians, as well as former K-P governors Shaukatullah and Shah Farman. The participants of the meeting were briefed on the current law and order situation in K-P and the efforts of the provincial government to curb terrorism in the province. The chief minister noted that the federal authorities and their security forces must protect the borders, while the provincial police are fully capable of combating terrorism within K-P. "We have been repeatedly saying that there is no room for good or bad Taliban in the province. Individuals carrying weapons under the name of any institution will not be allowed to remain in the province," he asserted. "Those supporting good Taliban must immediately expel them from the province. They are the reason the gap between the government, the public and state institutions is widening," he added. The APC issued a joint action plan outlining several key points, including an expression of solidarity with the families of terrorism victims. The conference called for intelligence-based operations (IBOs) to eliminate khawarij and restore long-term peace in the province. All political parties, tribal elders, public, K-P government, administration, and law enforcement agencies reaffirm their commitment to taking decisive and indiscriminate action for lasting peace and the elimination of terrorism, the joint-action plan read. Briefing the media on the current law and order situation, the chief minister announced that jirgas are being held in every tribal district and that a grand jirga will be convened in 15 days. "Operations are not a solution to any problem and have yielded no significant results. (Both the) security forces and civilians have suffered losses as a result of the operations. We are sending a clear message that we will not allow any kind of operation in our province, nor is any such action acceptable to us," Gandapur said. "Drone strikes [are also] unacceptable as even terrorists have begun using drones, putting ordinary citizens at risk." The chief minister stated that the provincial government would recruit 300 police officers in each tribal district through local tribes to strengthen law enforcement capacity. The chief minister also took aim at the federal government, stating that promises made under the NFC Award have not been fulfilled. "Our provincial assets belong to the province and cannot be handed over to any other authority." He rejected any "federal overreach" through proposed legislation like the Mines and Minerals Bill. Gandapur condemned the imposition of taxes in former FATA and PATA, which he said violates repeated provincial demands. "We do not accept these taxes and will not cooperate with the federal government on their implementation," he stated. He further opposed turning the Frontier Constabulary (FC) into a federal force and announced that the province will challenge the move in court, noting that K-P was not consulted on the decision. Taking a swipe at federal officials, the chief minister said: "(DPM/FM) Ishaq Dar lacks the competence to effectively advocate for this province. (Interior Minister) Mohsin Naqvi only understands cricket and flyovers. He has no knowledge of K-P's ground realities." Gandapur also criticized political parties that boycotted the APC, saying they lack the courage to face the conference's decisions and are indirectly encouraging chaos and terrorism. However, he maintained that the K-P government remains open to dialogue. "Our doors are still open for them. If they wish to reconvene or renegotiate for the sake of the province, we are ready." On Afghanistan, Gandapur said the global community has accepted the Afghan government, and constructive engagement is now needed.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
KP CM says his govt will no longer tolerate presence of ‘Good Taliban'
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has stated that the province will no longer tolerate the presence of so-called 'Good Taliban,' and a decision has been made to eliminate them entirely from the region. Speaking at the provincial All Parties Conference (APC) held in Peshawar, Gandapur expressed strong concerns over the security situation and federal policies. He made it clear that no kind of military operation would be accepted in the province moving forward. Gandapur said, 'Today, I acknowledge that 'Good Taliban' do exist in the province. We have now decided to eradicate their presence. Anyone seen carrying weapons under the name of any institution will face immediate action—whether an individual or a group. The concept of 'Good Taliban' is now over and will no longer be tolerated.' KP govt decides to convene APC on law & order He criticised past military operations, saying they yielded no significant results and instead harmed the province and its people. Strongly opposing drone strikes, he said such operations in civilian areas have resulted in the loss of innocent lives and will no longer be allowed. Gandapur also alleged that some state institutions have been supporting extremist groups labelled as 'Good Taliban', but the province will no longer accept this. 'They must be eliminated and removed from the province immediately,' he asserted. The APC decided to recruit 300 locals into the police force in every tribal district to help maintain peace at the local level. Sending a clear message to the federal government, the chief minister stated that border security is the responsibility of the centre, but if it fails to fulfill this duty, the provincial government will take charge of security with its own police force. He further emphasised that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has full rights over its mineral resources and will not hand over this authority to the federal government. He also opposed the imposition of federal taxes on tribal areas, stating that the provincial government would not support the centre on this issue. Gandapur concluded by declaring that no federal force will be allowed to operate in the province without first taking the provincial government into confidence.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Decentralization deferred: The unfulfilled promise of 18th Amendment and local governance
In 2010, Pakistan passed the landmark 18th Constitutional Amendment, a legislative milestone that was widely hailed as a turning point in the country's journey toward democratic deepening and decentralization. The amendment was envisioned as a transformative measure one that would transfer legislative, administrative, and fiscal authority from the federal center to the provinces, and eventually, to local governments. It promised greater autonomy, more accountable governance, and enhanced service delivery at the grassroots. Fifteen years on, however, the vision remains unrealized. Instead of embedding a functional three-tier governance system, the amendment has revealed persistent structural and political barriers that continue to undermine genuine devolution. Passed alongside the 18th Amendment, the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award represented a critical fiscal realignment. It increased the share of provinces in federal divisible resources from 49 percent to 57.5 percent and adopted a new formula for resource distribution: 82 percent based on population, 10.3 percent on poverty and backwardness, 5 percent on revenue generation, and 2.7 percent on inverse population density. While this was a progressive step at the time, recognizing disparities among provinces and aiming to rebalance federalism, it inadvertently entrenched a number of limitations. One major issue is the weak incentive for provinces to improve tax collection. With only 5 percent weight assigned to revenue generation, provincial governments find little fiscal reward in undertaking the politically sensitive and administratively burdensome task of expanding their tax base. Simultaneously, the federal government faces growing fiscal deficits due to heavy debt servicing, defense spending, and subsidies, leaving limited space for growth-oriented investments. This results in a structural deadlock: provinces are underfunded and unmotivated, while the center remains overstretched and unwilling to relinquish financial control. The stasis is further compounded by the fact that the NFC Award has not been revised since 2010. While originally envisioned as a mechanism for dynamic fiscal redistribution reflecting evolving developmental needs, the 7th NFC has remained frozen in time. The absence of an updated award means that provincial disparities persist, provincial service delivery remains constrained, and critical expenditures aligned with devolved responsibilities are routinely underfinanced. What worsens this situation is the lack of a functioning fiscal mechanism at the local level. Although the spirit of the 18th Amendment and Article 140-A is to ensure a flow of power from the federal to the provincial to the local tier, the last step in this chain, the empowerment of elected local governments, has been neglected. Article 140-A of the Constitution obligates provinces to establish systems of local government and devolve political, administrative, and fiscal responsibilities to elected representatives. The rationale is clear: local governments are best positioned to address immediate community concerns, including solid waste management, drinking water, education infrastructure, and local roads. They form the interface between the state and citizens. Yet, in practice, local government institutions have been rendered ceremonial. Despite the constitutional amendment in 2010, provinces took several years to hold local elections: Balochistan in 2015, Punjab in the same year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2015 (and again in 2021), and Sindh only in late 2021. Even where elections were held, they were often delayed, disrupted, or diluted through legislative amendments and administrative interference. The scope and depth of devolution across provinces also remain inconsistent. In Punjab, despite enacting local government legislation, real authority continues to rest with the provincial bureaucracy, and the elected tier has been frequently dissolved or sidelined. In contrast, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adopted a comparatively more ambitious model, introducing village and neighborhood councils to promote citizen participation. However, systemic underfunding and limited decision-making powers have curtailed their effectiveness. Across all provinces, delays in local elections, lack of clarity in roles, and provincial reluctance to share financial authority have constrained the functionality of local governance structures. These institutional shortcomings are not accidental; they reflect underlying political dynamics. Strong and empowered local governments can become centers of alternative political power, threatening the patronage networks and control mechanisms of provincial elites. For instance, the provincial government in Punjab has repeatedly postponed local government elections, citing legislative amendments and procedural concerns. The Election Commission of Pakistan has often been left in limbo, unable to proceed due to pending provincial revisions in local government laws. This problem is rooted in the very design of Article 140-A, which grants provinces significant leeway in defining and modifying local government systems, enabling manipulation and delay without consequence. While the 18th Amendment was rightly celebrated as a step toward democratization, its implementation reveals a glaring mismatch between constitutional intent and political practice. The need for a revised NFC Award is now critical. A new formula should reduce the excessive dependence on population as the primary criterion and instead incorporate dynamic indicators like tax effort measuring the actual effort of provinces to raise revenues relative to their capacity. Increasing the weight of tax effort from the current 5 percent to at least 10 percent would incentivize provinces to mobilize their own resources, reducing their reliance on federal transfers and encouraging greater fiscal responsibility. Equally, it is imperative to restore and strengthen local governments by shielding them from provincial encroachment. The Council of Common Interests (CCI) can serve as a neutral platform for reviewing and standardizing the design of local government frameworks across provinces. Reforms should include fixed electoral cycles, protected tenures, independent fiscal allocations, and the authority to retain and utilize locally generated revenues. These funds can be channeled into improving service delivery in vital sectors such as health, sanitation, and education. More importantly, legal, and institutional guarantees must be established to protect the autonomy and decision-making authority of elected local bodies, ensuring that they are not undermined by political expediency. None of these problems is novel. Economists, civil society organizations, parliamentary committees, and government task forces have repeatedly identified the structural gaps in Pakistan's decentralization framework. The problem lies not in diagnosis, but in the absence of political will to implement reform. Pakistan's governance remains trapped in a cycle where governments prioritize short-term political survival over long-term institutional strengthening. Until this mindset changes, the 18th Amendment will remain an incomplete promise, its transformational potential hindered by administrative inertia and political resistance. Decentralization is not merely a constitutional provision; it is a governance imperative. For Pakistan to truly benefit from the framework laid out in the 18th Amendment, it must move beyond symbolic commitments and toward systemic reform. A re-imagined NFC Award, empowered local governments, and genuine intergovernmental coordination are necessary steps to fulfill the democratic potential embedded in the Constitution. Without these, the foundational vision of a responsive, accountable, and citizen-oriented state will remain elusive. Syeda Dua Raza, Abdullah Khalid, Saad Ali Ahmed (The writers are associated with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad (SDPI) as research Interns. The article does not necessarily represent the views of the organisation) Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
