PTI unveils Rs2.027tr Punjab budget amid rumpus

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Tuesday presented its first budget in the Punjab Assembly for the remaining eight months of FY2018-19, with a total outlay of Rs2.027 trillion and a surplus of Rs147.8 billion.

MPAs from both the treasury and opposition benches along with the personal staff of Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi violated rules. Elahi kept ordering them to pay attention during the session but the lawmakers and officials were seen speaking, reading newspapers and using their cell phones during proceedings.

Violence raged through the house as the speaker refused to let Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s spokesperson Malik Muhammad Ahmed to speak, with the directive that no one will be allowed to speak on the point of order but soon after allowed the finance minister to present the budget.

Punjab Finance Minister Makhdum Hashim Jawan Bakht presented the budget. The budget documents made available to The Express Tribune show that the government has estimated general revenue receipts of Rs1.653 trillion, including Rs1.276 trillion from the federal divisible pool share, Rs375.9 billion from provincial tax and non-tax receipts.

The estimate of the current expenditure for ongoing fiscal year is Rs1.265 trillion, which includes Rs305.6 billion or 24% for service delivery expenditures, Rs313.4 billion or 25% for salary expenditures, Rs207.6 billion or 16% for payment of pensions and Rs437.9 billion or 35% for provincial finance commission (PFC).

During the budget speech, the Punjab finance minister said that the government presented a reformative budget to correct the wrongdoings of the previous governments. He pointed out the provincial government created a surplus of Rs148 billion to support the federal government in overcoming the current economic crisis.

The minister said the government earmarked Rs373 billion for education, which is Rs28 billion higher from the previous fiscal year. Last year, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has allocated merely 8% of its ADP for the health sector, while his government has allocated 14% or Rs258.1 of its development budget for healthcare.

Meanwhile, the speaker’s ‘biased’ decision irked opposition legislators who stood from their seats, marched to right in front of his dais and recorded their protest as loud as they could. The MPs chanted slogans and tore budget copies.

Later, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf legislators reached towards the dais to stop the opposition from creating further ruckus, the both the benches exchanged a series of derogatory slogans such as “Donkey Raja Ki Sarkar Nahi Chalay Gi” (Won’t let the donkey king rule) chanted by the PML-N while PTI members spontaneously responded, shouting “Daku Daku” (thief, thief).



The finance minister during his budget speech revealed the Punjab government will start the construction of ‘Dadhocha Dam’ in FY2018-19 to improve the irrigation system which had been ruined by the former government owing to its bad policies. He said Rs19.50 billion have been allocated for irrigation.

He claimed for the first time the Punjab government is taking steps to bind all departments to rationalise non-development expenditure, performance audit of previous years, and control all unnecessary expenditures. He said following simplicity and austerity the government will save Rs96 billion -- including generate additional income of Rs.16 billion obtained through resource mobilisation and Rs.80billion through expenditure rationalisation.

Bakht also said the government is introducing ‘Insaf Health Card’ and a health insurance programme in 36 districts of Punjab for the provision of better health facilities.

As for education, the government will introduce a new tier system for pre-primary schooling for the children residing in slum areas, and Rs500 million have been allocated for the purpose.

During his speech, the finance minister narrowly escaped paper-jets thrown at him by opposition legislators. However, PML-N legislators were left in fits as one of their paper-jet flew past the minister’s microphone, causing him to pause during the speech.

The finance minister announced launching “Environment Endowment Fund” with an outlay of Rs.6.30 billion to deal with environmental pollution. He also revealed that around 9 million children are not going to schools to get education in province Punjab as the treasury benches again chanted against PML-N, this time against Nawaz Sharif.

At some point during the speech, there were more legislators gathered around the dais than sitting in benches and the crowd soon started pushing and shoving each other, presenting a scene similar to a railway platform.

However, the situation quickly escalated to physical violence as former health minister Khawaja Imran Nazir tried to slap PTI’s Sher Akbar Khan, which Khan escaped as the rest of PML-N MPAs caught Nazir in time.

As DSP Zaheer in his specific criteria moved to pacify the situation, PML-N’s MPAs Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and Tariq Gill caught him and dragged him around in the House. However, the security staff rescued him from their hands. The legislators of both treasury and opposition benches including the personal staff of Speaker Elahi also made videos of proceedings standing with the chair of Speaker.

On the other hand opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz and former speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan ‘tried’ stopping their MPAs from engaging in the brawl.  The opposition also made use of ‘art’ with placards demanding Shehbaz’s release while PTI members refused to stand back and carried placards slamming the former CM as a thief.

The speaker adjourned the House till October 19 at 9am, soon after the finance minister ended his speech.