K-P Assembly passes Rs648 billion 'surplus budget' amid ruckus

PML-N, opposition lawmakers raise slogans over Shehbaz Sharif's incarceration

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jaghra on Monday unveiled a surplus budget for 2018-19 fiscal year as opposition parties boycotted the session over PML-N president's incarceration.

The budget outlay is Rs648 billion, with the expenditures estimated at Rs618 billion, targeting a Rs30 billion surplus. The government has proposed an allocation of Rs180 billion for various development schemes.



The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government plans to expand the Sehat Insaaf Card scheme to 800,000 families. It has also earmarked Rs5 billion for interest-free loans to the youth, and skill-development training of the youth.

At the very onset of the budget session with speaker Mushtaq Ghani in the chair, PML-N lawmakers raised slogans, protesting Shehbaz's imprisonment. Later, amid calls by the Speaker to restore order, they staged a walkout.

Earlier, the speaker administered oath to the newly-elected members, including the K-P government spokesperson Shaukat Yousafzai.