Budget presented in Senate amid protest

ISLAMABAD: The opposition lawmakers in Senate staged a vociferous protest on Tuesday when Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar presented the documents of the upcoming fiscal year’s federal budget in the upper house of the parliament.

When the state minister stood up to present the budget, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan maintained that the house lacked quorum.

The Senate chairman ordered a count after which it was found that there were enough members in the house to continue proceedings.

The opposition lawmakers then staged a noisy protest in the Senate to prevent the state minister from presenting the budget documents but Azhar went ahead with it despite the chaos.

As the opposition senators shouted slogans against the budget, the chairman adjourned the session till Friday.

The state minister was accompanied by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Hafeez Shaikh in the house.  Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Shabbar Zaidi also watched the proceedings of the house from the officers’ gallery.