PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday demanded full NFC (National Finance Commission) share for all units and said they would move the court over the unconstitutional cut in the amounts to be transferred to the provinces.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif will convene an all parties’ conference on the issue soon after his recovery from the coronavirus infection to formulate a joint stance, he added.

The NFC Award would have to be followed as it is a constitutional mechanism, said the PPP chairman.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Bilawal also warned that no one would be able to control the situation if people came out on the streets over issues like the 18th Amendment, NFC Award, inflation and missing persons.

He blasted the government over slashing the shares of provinces which, he added, were being asked to fight the coronavirus pandemic on their own.

How the provinces could curb the pandemic when they were being deprived of their rightful and constitutional share, said Bilawal who added that the share of Sindh was cut by Rs229 billion and of Punjab by Rs400 billion.

The PPP chairman criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for his recent statements about the 18th Amendment and the NFC Award, saying his assertions were actually against the 1973 Constitution. There won’t be any compromise on the 1973 Constitution, he made it clear.

Those who believe in the 1973 Constitution, NFC Award and devaluation of powers to provinces should leave the ruling alliance, Bilawal remarked.

The PPP chairman also noted that they won’t allow the Centre to grab the three hospitals – NIVCD, NICH and JPMC – of Sindh, as he challenged the PTI one single health facility like these in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it is in the coming for the last seven years.

He said all political parties had rejected the federal government’s budget. They had thought there would be a special package for every province help fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Bilawal lamented.

The PTI government, he added, had failed to provide protection against Covid-19, ensure food security amid the locust attack as well as financial safety to the people amid the prevailing crisis.

At a time when working, lower-middle and middle classes needed support, the PTI government had reduced the budgetary allocation for social protection by Rs34 billion, Bilawal told the reporters.

About the Supreme Court decision to declare the presidential reference against Justice Faez Isa null and void, he described it as a short-term victory.

The moves claimed to be aiming at rooting out corruption are actually designed for some other motives, he remarked.

The cases engineered to pressure people and filed with mala fide intentions are aimed at bringing them to the script, Bilawal added.

The PPP chairman repeated the demand of formation of a JIT on the information shared by Justice Faez about the properties owned by the government members abroad.

Describing the spying of judges as a very serious issue, he also asked the apex court to order a JIT to probe into the matter.