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A ruckus was witnessed in the National Assembly during the budget session on Friday as PTI's Murad Saeed reportedly lunged towards PML-N's Abid Sher Ali as the two engaged in a verbal scuffle.
In the video footage, an infuriated Saeed is seen rushing, apparently to engage in a physical scuffle, as he is restrained by several other members of the House.
Later, the opposition parties staged a walkout from the session protesting against the government’s decision to present the budget for full fiscal year 2018-19.
According to Express News, Sheikh Aftab left the session to convince the opposition leaders to return back to the forum for the unveiling of the annual budget.
The members of the opposition parties tore out copies of the budget document presented to them and staged a protest around Ismail as he speak from the podium.
Leader of the Opposition Khurshid Shah Friday criticised the government's decision to announce a full year's budget.
Addressing the budget session, Shah maintained that the ruling party was depriving the next government of its due right. “The right of the elected government should not be snatched. We [current set-up] should not be part of the budget.”
He added that the government could have presented a 3-month budget. “An interim set-up will take over the government on May 30.”
Earlier in the day, opposition parties attended a consultation session at the Parliament.
In the meeting, headed by Leader of the Opposition in Senate Sherry Rehman, the opposition party is reviewing strategy to counter the ruling party’s decision to present a budget for a full fiscal year of 2018-19.
Speaking to the media, Rehman said the opposition will decide a joint strategy. The Pakistan Peoples Party leader lamented that the government had not entertained any recommendations from any party. “National economic survey was not given to any assembly member,” she said. “We will protest during the session.”
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Stressing that the government did not have the right to present sixth year’s budget, she added that the ruling party was trying to force the process instead of consultations.
Both the PPP and PTI held separate consultative meetings with their parties to devise a strategy ahead of the budget session in the National Assembly on Friday.
The PPP meeting was called by Leader of the Opposition and senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah to discuss and review strategy to counter ruling party’s plan to unveil the budget for fiscal year 2018-19.
PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi headed the consultative meeting with the party's parliamentarians.
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