Deprived of due share: Unhappy with Centre, Sindh govt to approach SC

Federal govt not releasing Sindh’s share from the divisible pool irks provincial government

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to approach the Supreme Court (SC) against the federal government for not releasing the province's due share of the divisible pool.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House on Friday. The lawmakers of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will also raise the issue on the floor of the National Assembly.

"The Sindh government is suffering from huge losses due to the wrong decision of the federal government of importing wheat," said Shah, adding that the NA opposition leader, Syed Khursheed Shah, would raise this issue in the assembly and a representative of the provincial government would approach the SC.

Finance minister Murad Ali Shah said that it was usual for the federal government to release smaller amounts to Sindh than its due share in the divisible pool. Citing an example, he said that during the last financial year, the share of the Sindh government was determined at Rs332 billion and it was later revised to Rs308 billion, out of which only Rs303 billion were released.

According to the CM, the federal government promised to provide Rs10 billion for the on-going targeted operation launched in Karachi in September 2013. However, it later announced that only Rs3.7 billion will be provided. The funds are  still awaited, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2015.