Amid numerals and parliamentary traditions

Budget session chaos, figures provide indication of party’s rule

PESHAWAR: The 2016 budget session served as a kind of performance report of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government over the last three years. Internal wrangling, perpetual leg pulling and relying on inflated figures to fill in the gaps have dominated governance. The latter trait bears a similarity to the tactics of the former Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal-led regime.

There has been much written on the numeric value of the budget and more will be said in the days to come. Figures will be altered, estimates revisited and suggestions for allocations will be made. Those been left in the open will be invited under the ‘umbrella’ to take shelter. The demand for the increase of salaries for lawmakers has already pushed its way through. Sadly, that is how most of the province’s politics have shaped up over the last decade.

However, the ruckus in the house when arguments were made against the finance bill was unprecedented. Regardless, the heated arguments, resulting in a scuffle between PTI lawmaker Babar Saleem and Minister for Health Shahram Tarakai and others, will have little bearing on history.

There is no higher moral ground. Historically, loyalties have been changed governments toppled and arguments aplenty, but K-P’s parliamentary decorum has not been tainted to this extent, at least when it comes to the budget session.



A sitting chief minister had to watch two MPAs from his own party roll up their sleeves during a budget session and the speaker had to call off the sitting as it was impossible to continue.

The counter argument made is that there have been cases on the global front where politicians have literally thrashed each other inside parliament.

However, weren’t we seeking change, a break from the rutted path to open up new avenues of a prosperous, educated K-P? One wonders where that disappeared down the lane of real politics.

Examples of a ruling party deciding to boycott an assembly session can only be few and far between. Jirgas are then convened to usher them back to the house so that a sitting government does not have to face the embarrassment of not being able to pass its own budget.

While the chief minister has rightly asked for an enquiry on the absence of his party’s members from the assembly session, a question arises as to whether these investigations will lead to any action? Previous experiences show that even those terminated from the party have been given lucrative positions once again. Will anything change this time?

There is little doubt that  PTI has massive support from the youth. However, after witnessing their leaders in such a state, disillusionment is secondary. If they decide to follow the same path, anarchy could be just around the corner.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2016.