Show me the money: Minister asks about minorities’ ‘missing’ funds

Says minority MPAs got only Rs350 million out of Rs460 million allocated to them

LAHORE: Minister for Minorities Zulfiqar Ghouri on Wednesday raised questions over funds earmarked in the 2016-17 budget for minorities and said the allocated amount was not fully provided.

During the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly, MPA Ghouri of PML-N stood up after provincial Finance Minister Aisha Ghaus Pasha presented the pre-budget 2017-18 speech in the House.



The minorities minister said the government had allocated Rs460 million for minorities under development funds in the budget, but each minority MPA was given Rs18 million. The MPA said this only means Rs350 million were given to them, while nobody knew where the rest of the Rs110 million has gone.

He said the ruling party should take its minority members onboard since they were also the members of the assembly. He said the minorities should be given the rest of the fund so that the amount could be spent on their development.

During the question-answer session, PTI legislator Mian Aslam Iqbal stood up and protested for not including his questions in the agenda. After the question-answer session and other proceedings, Finance Minister Aisha Ghaus Pasha presented the pre-budget speech requesting the legislators to give their input by filling the questions sheet provided to them.

Can Pakistan ever be a minority-friendly country?

PTI leader Mian Aslam Iqbal told The Express Tribune that his party would stage a protest on stairs of the Punjab Assembly building and would not participate in PA proceedings until Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan tendered a written apology for his rude and humiliating behaviour towards him.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2017.