Seminar on NFC Award: Speakers demand equitable share for KP

PESHAWAR: The speakers at a seminar on National Finance Commission (NFC) Award called for an equitable share for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially after the merger of the tribal districts so that the miseries of the people of the war-hit province could be addressed.

The seminar was organised by the Development Insights Lab (DIL) and Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) at the University of Peshawar on Thursday. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, who is also chancellor of the University of Peshawar, Faisal Karim Kundi was the chief guest on the occasion.

Prominent among others who spoke on the occasion included acting vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar Dr Naeem Qazi, political leaders, including Ahmad Karim Kundi from Pakistan People’s Party, Taimur Saleem Jhagra of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Inayatullah Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami, Naeema Kishwar from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Khushdil Khan of Awami National Party and Sikandar Hayat Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party and others. The speakers underlined the need for a fair distribution of the national resources to meet KP’s changing demands.

In his speech as chief guest, the governor emphasised the critical role of collaboration between academia and civil society in advocating for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s equitable share in the NFC Award.

He urged the political representatives to stand united, suggesting that a cohesive approach would strengthen the position of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the NFC. He highlighted the severe economic impact of terrorism on KP’s economy and tourism, urging an increased resource focus to bolster the province’s security and development.

He underscored the importance of political unity, stating, “If Pashtun leaders can come together under the umbrella of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, they can also sit together to work out a plan for their own rights,” he argued.

University of Peshawar Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Qazi commended the creation of the Development Insights Lab, expressing hope that it would aid in evidence-based policy-making and thanked political representatives for their support of this new initiative. He noted the pressing need to finalize the NFC Award to ensure national and provincial development.

Chairman department of International Relations, University of Peshawar, Dr Syed Hussain Shaheed Suherwardi and Dr. Fahim Nawaz, Deputy Coordinator of DIL moderated the session, with participants from political circles, academia, media, and student bodies. Muhammad Anwar, Executive Director of CGPA, and Dr. Sajjad Ahmad Jan, Coordinator of DIL, briefed participants about the initiatives of their respective organisations.

Several presentations were also made on the occasion including: ‘The Evolution of the NFC Award in Pakistan and International Best Practices of Resource Distribution’ by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).

Dr Muhammad Saleem of Juniper Policy Consulting gave a presentation on ‘The 7th NFC Award and its Implications for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Backdrop of the 25th Constitutional Amendment.’

Both sessions highlighted the importance of addressing regional needs and were followed by a question and answer session with participants.

At the panel discussions the participants stressed how to incorporate the ex-Fata’s 6.6 percent share into KP’s existing 14.6 pc allocation and to raise the security share from 1 percent to 3 pc to address law and order challenges affecting the province.