Rabbani slams NFC cuts for 'lavish allowances'

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ISLAMABAD:

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Monday lambasted the formation of an eight-member committee tasked with revising or granting new allowances to government servants, calling it a glaring example of "double standards on the part of the finance minister".

In a statement, Rabbani criticized the composition of the committee, stating that it included members who were "direct beneficiaries, violating the principle of not being a judge in one's own cause."

"It will be recalled, the finance minister, a week past, spoke about revisiting the NFC Award, amounting to a rollback of fiscal devolution given by the 18th Amendment," the statement read.

Rabbani termed this move as yet another example of "double standards on the part of the finance minister."

The National Finance Commission (NFC) award, particularly the 7th NFC Award, has long been a point of contention between the federal government and the provinces.

Under the award, the provincial share in vertical distribution rose from 49% to 56% during 2010-11 and then to 57.5% in subsequent years. The horizontal distribution of resources among provinces also shifted from a population-based formula to a more inclusive, multi-criteria formula.