Daily Times

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has been removed from the National Finance Commission.

A new notification on the formation of NFC has been submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by the attorney general. The earlier notification appointing Shaikh to the commission, which had been challenged in court, has now been withdrawn.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha argued the NFC had been formed without consulting all stakeholders.

Earlier on May 19, 2020, PML-N had challenged formation of 10th National Finance Commission in the Islamabad High Court.

The petition stated that the responsibility of equitable distribution of financial resources between the federation and provinces lies with the NFC. According to the Finance Division notification, the President of Pakistan constituted an 11-member commission on April 23.

The PML-N had challenged the appointment of SAPM to chair the NFC as the finance adviser. The petition argued that the country’s finance minister chairs the NFC. The petition said that nowhere in the constitution was it stated that the prime minister’s adviser on finance could be the convener of the NFC.

The government on May 12 formed the 10th NFC award. President Arif Alvi had authorised Shaikh to chair the NFC meetings in the absence of the federal finance minister.