PESHAWAR, June 29: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government has demanded of the federal government to give NWFP representation in the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), seeking reconstitution of the Authority to take provincial government’s representative on the decision-making body of Wapda.

The demand was made by the NWFP Minister for Finance, Planning and Development, Mr Siraj-ul-Haq, at a press conference here on Saturday following his meeting with four former provincial finance ministers — Haji Adeel, Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, Mr Iftikhar Mohmand and Mr Farid Rehman.

He also demanded of the federal government to declare the province a trade-free zone, lifting all trade-related barriers from the NWFP in an attempt to promote trade and industrial activities in the province.

He announced that the provincial government had decided to constitute a working group involving him and former finance ministers of the province to raise recommendations for the economic uplift of the province and protect NWFP’s constitutional right of net hydel profit’s payment in addition to giving in-put for preparing NWFP’s case for the new national finance commission (NFC).

The NWFP finance minister said: “The working group demands that the NWFP government should be given representation in the decision-making body of the Authority after reconstituting the same to ensure that the constitutional right of the province be protected in letter and spirit.”

They had been extended invitation for the working group because of their experience being former finance ministers of the province in line with MMA government’s policy of utilizing the potential of other political parties to secure due constitutional right and for the economic betterment of the people of the NWFP, said Mr Siraj-ul-Haq.

Speaking on the occasion, all the four former finance ministers appreciated MMA government’s initiative vis-a-vis inviting them to the conference on Saturday and extending them invitation to become members of the working group.

They assured their maximum cooperation to the provincial government to supplement its on-going efforts for seeking payment of net hydel profit (NHP) share to the province in line with the A.G.N. Kazi Committee’s recommendations put forth in 1987.

Mr Siraj-ul-Haq said the NWFP had the highest rate of poverty in comparison with the other federating units and had the lowest per capita income of Rs17 per day per person in comparison with Rs46 per person per day at the national level.

“Being situated far away from the seaport and having less opportunities to boost up the industrial sector, federal government should ensure that we be given full amount of net hydel profit share,” the minister said, adding: “Frontier province should also be declared free-trade zone to boost economic, particularly, industrial activities.”

Replying to a series of questions, the incumbent finance minister rejected that the MMA government was intentionally leading the path of confrontation with the federal government to derive political mileage.

“We don’t want confrontation with anybody,” said Mr Siraj-ul-Haq, adding that “we are seeking our legitimate and constitutional right not for any specific group or party, rather, it is the right of the people of the NWFP.”

In an effort to secure payment of the NHP share in accordance with the A.G.N. Kazi Committee’s formula and arrears accruing against Wapda since 1973-74 financial year, the minister said, the provincial government was considering different options.

“We may also move the courts of law to win our right in fulfilment of Article 161(2) of the Constitution, decision of the Council of Common Interest and the frequently given assurances and guarantees by the successive federal governments and President Gen Pervez Musharraf,” said the minister.

Reading minutes of a meeting of the 1991 NFC — which also involved sitting Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali as a member — the minister said that Mr Jamali had, at that time, supported NWFP’s stand on the NHP issue.

“We have decided to extend support to the provincial government despite our political differences in an attempt to secure due constitutional right of the province,” said Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, who was minister in the first Mir Afzal Khan government in the province.

Similarly, Mr Iftikhar Mohmand, who was finance minister in the second Aftab Sherpao government in the NWFP, and Haji Adeel of the ANP, who was minister for a brief period in the Pir Sabir Shah government, also criticised Wapda and successive federal governments for, what they termed: “Usurping constitutional right of the province by capping the net hydel profit share at Rs6 billion a year.”

“Successive federal governments, no matter which party was in power, had never been sincere to resolve this contentious issue and the NWFP had always been meted out stepmotherly treatment,” said Mr Iftikhar Mohmand.

He claimed that in a letter to him during the second Aftab Sherpao government, Mr V.A.Jaffery, who was economic adviser to the then prime minister Benazir Bhutto, had intimated on behalf of the then federal government that the NWFP would be given the NHP share in accordance with the A.G.N. Kazi Committee’s recommendations and that NWFP’s arrears accruing against Wapda under this head since 1973-74 financial year, would duly be reflected in the federal budget for the new financial year (1997-98).

“But Mr Jaffery did not fulfil his promise because of the removal of the federal government,” said Mr Mohmand.

Mr Farid Rehman, who was finance minister in the last military-backed civil government in the province, said the NWFP had two options to secure its constitutional right.

“Arbitration or moving the Supreme Court of Pakistan are the only two options the province has,” he said.

He further said that last provincial government prepared a case of Rs298 billion arrears against Wapda in an attempt to seek arbitration from the federal government.

“But that could not be materialised after the federal government backed out from its commitment to resolve the issue through arbitration between the NWFP and Wapda,” said Mr Rehman.