Islamabad Not Included in NFC Award; Federal Government Should Provide Support

Lack of Funds for Development Projects, No Need for Mega Projects at Present

Islamabad (Special Correspondent): Former Senior Vice President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and Secretary of the Traders Action Committee Islamabad, Khalid Chaudhry, has said that a cricket stadium should be constructed in Islamabad, but the expenses should be borne by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Khalid Chaudhry stated that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had allocated a plot in Shakarparian for the construction of a cricket stadium to the PCB twenty years ago, but the cricket board could not complete the project. He said that now the CDA Board has announced that it will construct the stadium with an estimated cost of Rs. 11 billion, which he termed unfair to the citizens of Islamabad.

He expressed concerns that spending such a large amount from CDA funds could negatively affect ongoing development projects in the federal capital. He said that Islamabad is already facing a shortage of funds for development works, and allocating such a huge amount from CDA resources is inappropriate.

He further stated that Islamabad is not part of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and does not receive funds from the federal government through this mechanism. He added that the revenue generated by the Islamabad Excise Department, which is approximately Rs. 50 billion, is also collected by the federal government, resulting in reduced financial resources for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Khalid Chaudhry urged Chief Commissioner ICT Sohail Ashraf to ensure that the revenue from the Excise Department is allocated to Islamabad so that development work can also be carried out in rural areas of the capital.

He called upon Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of the situation and take necessary steps to address the financial challenges faced by Islamabad.