Sindh Local Bodies Act: PPP-PSP talks fail once again

KARACHI: Talks between the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Sarzameen Party failed to reach a breakthrough as the negotiations between the two sides now enter into the fifth round.

PSP leaders – Mustafa Kamal and Anis Qaimkhani – were present in the last round of negotiation with Sindh Local Bodies Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and Waqar Mehdi at the residence of PSP leader Syed Hafeezud Din.

The fifth round of negotiations between the two sides is expected to be held on Wednesday evening.

Earlier, PSP leader Mustafa Kamal said that a resource allocation formula under the Provincial Finance Commission is the prime demand of his party before the Sindh government.

Read more: Resource allocation mechanism under PFC our core demand: Mustafa Kamal

Kamal, heading a protest sit-in against the Sindh Local Bodies Act at the Fawwara Chowk, in his media talk, said that unfortunately billions of rupees sent by the federal government under the National Finance Commission (NFC) got stuck in the Sindh Chief Minister house rather than going to the districts.

“We want the Sindh government to make a system under the Provincial Finance Commission. We have made a draft that encapsulates a proper mechanism which sheds light on the provision of financial resources to the districts,” he said.

“As like in the NFC where all chief ministers decide the resource allocation, the provincial finance commission should have members including all 23 elected mayors,” he said.  “The NFC formula should be applied on the PFC.”