For PTV coverage: Opposition boycott enters 10th day

Only 25 lawmakers take part in discussion on the federal budget


Qadeer Tanoli June 07, 2017
NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: APP

ISLAMABAD: Opposition parties on Tuesday continued their boycott of the National Assembly for a 10th consecutive day, persisting with their demand for a live telecast of their budget speeches on the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV).

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq called a meeting of the opposition parties in his chamber, but it remained inconclusive.

Some parties – including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – asked the government and the protesting parties to resolve the issue of live telecast of speeches so that the federal budget and other important national issues could be discussed in the assembly.

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JI’s Sahibzada Tariqullah said that his party could amicably resolve the issue, but “the government appears adamant” on the issue of live telecast.

MQM-P’s Shaikh Salahuddin requested the speaker to act as a bridge between the government and the opposition parties to resolve the matter.

ANP’s Ghulam Bilour asked both the government and the opposition to resolve the issue as soon as possible so that issues of the common man could be discussed on the floor of the house.

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Earlier, taking the floor, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “A budget debate has become meaningless as people are more interested in the country’s internal situation and changes occurring at the regional level.”

He said the Foreign Office is silent over the rift among the Gulf states. Noting that six Muslim countries had severed relations with Qatar, he inquired whether the government had devised any policy for the Pakistanis present in Qatar.

“Pakistan still regards its relations with Saudi Arabia as ‘very important’ even though Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not given any importance during the Riyadh summit,” he said.

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Commenting on the regional situation, Qureshi said, “Relations with Afghanistan and India are getting worse while the situation on the Iranian border is also deteriorating which was previously a secured border.”

Calling the budget the most important finance bill, he said no one bothered to have a debate on it. Instead of discussing the budget, the issue of the leaked picture of Hussain Nawaz, crisis in the Middle East and issues pertaining to sectarian division were being discussed, he added.

He called upon the government to try and understand where the country was headed in the prevailing situation.

Opposition stages mock session outside parliament

The PTI leader also said the Qatari prince had refused to come to Pakistan to testify before the Panamagate probe team to authenticate his letters meant to fill up the gaps in the money trail regarding the Sharif family’s offshore assets.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah, on a point of order, said the opposition was aware of the seriousness attached with the budget debate.

He said the government delegations meeting the opposition parties to resolve the matter enjoyed no powers. He also called for a probe into who leaked the picture of Hussain Nawaz during the JIT interrogation.

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As soon as the opposition leader called for a walkout from the house on the speech telecast issue, the opposition parties left the assembly.

Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanvir Hussain urged the opposition to participate in the budget discussion, assuring that their genuine proposals would be fully accommodated in the finance bill.

He told the opposition parties that the treasury benches were ready to sit with them to address their concerns, and asked them to demonstrate flexibility.

Participating in the debate, Amra Khan said special training centres should be set up for disabled people to help them stand on their feet.

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Maulana Gohar Shah said, “Of the Rs20 billion proposed for Baitul Mal, only Rs6 billion has been allocated in the budget, which is insufficient.”

Abdul Ghaffar Dogar demanded that the subsidy on fertilisers should be further enhanced in order to provide relief to the farmers.

Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon said enhancing agriculture credit, ensuring zero load-shedding for industries and reducing the fiscal deficit are appreciable steps of the government.

Terming the budget development-oriented, Malik Muhammad Uzair Khan said 40 per cent increase has been made in the Public Sector Development Programme for the next fiscal year.

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Nighat Parveen proposed the establishment of model hospitals at the district level in order to ensure medical facilities to people at their doorsteps. She also suggested a 20 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees.

Expressing concerns over the high prices of tractors, Mansab Ali Khan Dogar said the prices should be reduced to provide relief to poor farmers.

“Cargo service of Pakistan Railways should be improved,” said Ghulam Muhammad Lali, adding that plantation should be done along the railway tracks.

Twenty-five lawmakers took part in the general discussion on the federal budget for the fiscal year 2017-2018, which consumed four and a half hours. As the sitting was adjourned, only 11 lawmakers were present in the house.

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