National Assembly: Lawmakers pledge a break without spending

Rabbani submits activity report on the implementation commission.


Umer Nangiana April 30, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


The National Assembly on Friday agreed to meet after a week-long break, but said they would not spend more public funds on travel and daily allowances.


On Thursday, parliamentarians had agreed not to prolong the current session and decided to meet again on May 9 to discuss the economic crisis.

However, the Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said it was an “unnecessary” waste of public funds on legislators’ transport and daily allowances (TA/DA) for an extra week, adding that his party will not participate in the session if it is held after a week’s delay and legislators avail their TA/DA.  The delay will put extra burden on the national exchequer, he said.

Before leaving the house, and after igniting a brief discussion over the issue, Chaudhry Nisar surfaced three alternative proposals, one of which was finally adopted.

On Chief Whip Khursheed Shah’s insistence, the legislators decided not to take TA/DA and the house decided to go ahead with the plan of meeting on May 9. However, Nisar had left by then.

In its legislative business, the National Assembly unanimously passed the General Statistics (Reorganisation) Bill of 2011.

In addition, Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Raza Rabbani submitted a report about the past year’s activities of the 18th amendment Implementation Commission.

Concluding the debate on the presidential address to the joint sitting of parliament, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo reiterated his government’s commitment to politics of national reconciliation.

“This government had reinstated sacked employees and increased the (workers’) daily wages to Rs7,000,” Watoo said, adding that the previous government had failed to do so.

Earlier, responding to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that the government was providing targeted subsidies for the deserving people, while taking extra burden off the government’s kitty.

She said prices of commodities in Pakistan were “more reasonable than they are in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka”. “If the prices are not lower than these countries, then they are at least compatible,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2011.

COMMENTS (1)

Imran | 12 years ago | Reply Choeee Nisar is jealous of PTI.
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