ISLAMABAD: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Senator Rana Sanaullah has asserted that after the 18th Amendment, welfare schemes are the responsibility of the provinces, while downplaying criticism from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over a proposed transfer of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to provincial governments.
Speaking on Samaa TV’s program ‘Nadeem Malik Live’, Sanaullah first commented on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s recent campaign rhetoric in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). “Bilawal wanted to tell the people of GB not to vote for PML-N or they will sell you out. This is what is said during the election campaign. What else will Bilawal say?” he remarked.
Turning to constitutional and fiscal matters, Sanaullah argued that the primary beneficiaries of the 18th Amendment were the federation and the four provinces. “Under the 18th Amendment, the provinces got resources and they should take powers accordingly,” he said.
He specifically addressed the BISP, calling it a social welfare scheme. “The provinces can manage such schemes in a better way. After the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the provinces anyway,” he added.
Sanaullah acknowledged that the PPP is against transferring the BISP to the provinces, but stressed that this disagreement cannot stop the federal government from discussing its proposal. “The federal government is not adamant about moving the ratio in the National Finance Commission (NFC) back and forth. BISP will increase next year,” he said.
In a broader reflection on the country’s financial challenges, the advisor noted that “the government and defense sectors run on loans.”
