‘MMA committed to increasing NWFP’s hydel profit’

PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has said that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government would stand firm on its commitment for an increase in the net hydel profit for the frontier province.

“We will determinedly advocate the frontier’s case and will try to do it with one voice,” said Mr Durrani while presiding over a special meeting of the parliamentary jirga on net hydel profit at Frontier House Islamabad on Saturday.

Mr Durrani said that everyone understood that the NWFP stand was just, legitimate and logical. He said that the involvement of all political forces for the provincial right was a rational approach because it would resolve even the complicated aspects of the issue. We have the support of all and need it on all stages, he added. The NWFP chief minister expressed his desire to arrange a detailed briefing to senators, MNAs, political parties and district nazims.

The participants of the jirga were unanimous on the decision to form a two-pronged strategy for increasing NWFP’s net hydel profit through political and technical process and through arbitration. The jirga also reviewed the progress of the two previous meetings which had made some solid recommendations. The members of the political parties who participated in the jirga termed arbitration as the visible achievement of the MMA government because previously WAPDA had shirked from arbitration.

The jirga discussed the salient features of the arbitration agreement, including Article 161(2), CCI’S approved methodology, computation from 1973 onward, composition of the Arbitral Tribunal, appointment of its chairman, decision-making, ratification from the Frontier Assembly, payment of remuneration, signing of agreement by two disputing entities i.e. NWFP and WAPDA, terms of reference decision of the Arbitral Tribunal, award methodology, ratification and implementation process and recorded a number of proposals and reconciliation to finalise the case of the frontier government.

NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq, Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP, former federal minister Dr Muhammad Zubair of the MMA, MNAs Dr Attaur Rehman, Maulana Nasib Ali Shah and others attended the jirga. nni

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