Senate session on budget marred by walkout

Opposition terms non-issuance of Zardari’s production order retaliation

ISLAMABAD: The Senate session convened on Friday to discuss the budget was marred by disruption as the opposition staged a walkout over the non-issuance of the production order of former president Asif Ali Zardari.

They were also sharp exchanges over what the opposition said was lack of action on a resolution approved in the upper house regarding the reference against judges.

During the session, presided over by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the members of the opposition said the federal budget would saddle the people with more debt.

The issue of the non-issuance of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman’s production order was raised by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman.

She said NAB had arrested Zardari from his residence, a day before the budget, even though he was cooperating with the investigators while arrest warrants had also been issued for his sister in the same case.

"Politicians are being harassed," Rehman said. "The government is using the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as a retaliatory tool to hound its political rivals."

She added that the government was using similar tactics against elected representatives of other parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Saad Rafique and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement’s Ali Wazir. “Our leadership will not be cowered by such intimidatory tactics,” she said.

Senators allied with opposition parties continued their protest outside the Senate.

Expressing displeasure at the behaviour of the opposition, Leader of the House Shibli Faraz said one political party was disrupting proceedings for its own purpose. “The government will not allow one party to take the session hostage and ensure that the agenda of the house is completed,” he said.

The opposition also discussed the federal budget which was presented in the NA by Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar on Tuesday.

PML-N Senator Abdul Qayyum said that the budget would not have a positive impact on the economy while it failed to provide relief to the common man.

He proposed that the focus should be on growth, agriculture, industry, services sector, and control expenditure to strengthen the economy. He said that revenue collection should be enhanced and leakages should be checked.

PPP's Rehman said that the parliamentary committee was not consulted in the preparation of the budget. She added that the government had failed to deliver on its promise of change, hitting the people with a "tsunami of inflation" instead where the prices of oil, gas and edibles had skyrocketed.

‘There should be inquiry as the budget deficit has increased to $7.1 billion and gas prices have  increased exponentially,” she remarked.

Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Sitara Ayaz said that the government had failed to do anything for education while also criticing the budget for being heavy on the taxes.

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani got into an argument with his successor after suggesting that the budget had been "illegally presented" in the NA. Chairman Sanjrani responded that the matter pertaining to the other house could not be discussed here.

Rabbani remarked that the budget had been prepared on the directions provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), upon which Sanjrani took the floor back from the PPP senator.

Senate proceedings will resume on Monday 4.30 pm