Glad tidings: Sanaullah promises a tax-free budget

Law minister criticises PTI for unrest in local government polls in K-P

LAHORE:

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday the provincial budget for 2015-2016 would be tax-free. He said it would focus on public welfare.

He told a press conference at the Assembly chambers the cabinet would determine the raise in salaries of government employees a few hours before the budget speech on June 12. “Traditionally, the provincial government follows the provisions of the federal budget. The cabinet will make the final decision in this regard,” he said.

The assembly session commencing on Wednesday (today) will continue until June 26.



Sanaullah said the session would have five days of debate on the annual budget. He said four bills would be laid before the House. The government, he said, planned to table the Protection of Women against Violence Bill, 2015, on June 11. The other bills to be introduced are the University of Jhang Bill, 2015, the University of Sahiwal Bill and an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Bill.

He said after voting on finance bill, annual and supplementary budgets would be tabled before the assembly on June 24.

Commenting on Gilgit-Baltistan assembly elections, the minister said that except for some minor incidents the elections were held peacefully and transparently.

Sanaullah said initially the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had commended the elections for being smooth but later the party had called the exercise unfair. “They claimed rigging as soon as the results were declared,” he said. He said people had rejected agitation in the Mandi Bahauddin by-polls.

He said the Election Commission would decide whether local government elections should be held in a phased manner or not. The chief minister had formed a committee to deliberate on all aspects of the elections, the minister said.



About his re-appointment as law minister, Sanaullah said he had quit the office following the model Town riots to allow a transparent probe into the violence.

Asked why Justice Baqir Ali Najfi’s report had not been made public, he said it was up to the government to make it public or not. He said PTI ministers should resign in view of violence-marred local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sanaullah said that following a violent PTI rally in Faisalabad last year, he had been nominated in an FIR at the behest of party chief Imran Khan. “Their [PTI’s] minister entered a polling station, abused the electoral staff and took away ballot boxes but nothing was done [against him],” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2015.