Government comes under fire for ‘poor policies’
Opposition lawmaker demands the creation of South Punjab, Bahawalpur province
Prime Minister Imran Khan. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/@imrankhan.pti
LAHORE:
On the second day of discussion on the annual budget for the year 2019-20, the lawmakers from both treasury and opposition benches came hard on the policies of the government.
A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker criticised the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) special assistant to the Prime Minister for information and broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan for receiving a cheque (as financial aid for dams) from members of the Ahmadiya community.
The opposition lawmakers, particularly the PML-N MPAs, directly lashed out at the PTI government while lauding the policies of their past government.
While the treasury legislators first applauded the budget presented by their government and the very next moment they seemed complaining about the insufficient budgetary allocation to their respective constituencies. They seemed drawing the attention of their government towards those segments which according to them were ignored in the budget.
PTI’s lawmaker Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari drew a different picture by strongly condemning the role of both sides’ lawmakers claiming “we are playing blame game just for point scoring and merely to please our leaders who are living luxurious lives in Jatti Umrah or Banni Gala.”
“Our leaders are not worried about the issues of the poor masses and we should be ashamed of it. He said the opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif gave some numbers pointing out where our country stood in the economy race and if these numbers are correct we should sit together to put the country out from current imbroglio and if the numbers are false then the opposition should be asked to remain silent.
Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari demanded the house not to pass the budget until Bahawalpur and South Punjab were made into new provinces. Continuing, his speech, Leghari said the PTI government allocated only 2% of ADP in the agriculture sector.
PTI’s Fayazul Hassan Chohan, responding to Leghari, asked the latter what his father had done for South Punjab as president.
He said PTI allocated 55% to the health sector of South Punjab in the budget 2019-20, 40% to sports, 39% to social welfare, 48% to agriculture, while nine hospitals were also being constructed in South Punjab.
PML-N’s Manazar Ali Ranjha demanded the formation of a commission, consisting of lawmakers of both the treasury and the opposition, to conduct a survey and determine whether the people were satisfied with the performance of this government.
Later, the deputy speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari adjourned the house for Wednesday (today) at 3pm.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2019.
On the second day of discussion on the annual budget for the year 2019-20, the lawmakers from both treasury and opposition benches came hard on the policies of the government.
A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker criticised the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) special assistant to the Prime Minister for information and broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan for receiving a cheque (as financial aid for dams) from members of the Ahmadiya community.
The opposition lawmakers, particularly the PML-N MPAs, directly lashed out at the PTI government while lauding the policies of their past government.
While the treasury legislators first applauded the budget presented by their government and the very next moment they seemed complaining about the insufficient budgetary allocation to their respective constituencies. They seemed drawing the attention of their government towards those segments which according to them were ignored in the budget.
PTI’s lawmaker Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari drew a different picture by strongly condemning the role of both sides’ lawmakers claiming “we are playing blame game just for point scoring and merely to please our leaders who are living luxurious lives in Jatti Umrah or Banni Gala.”
“Our leaders are not worried about the issues of the poor masses and we should be ashamed of it. He said the opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif gave some numbers pointing out where our country stood in the economy race and if these numbers are correct we should sit together to put the country out from current imbroglio and if the numbers are false then the opposition should be asked to remain silent.
Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari demanded the house not to pass the budget until Bahawalpur and South Punjab were made into new provinces. Continuing, his speech, Leghari said the PTI government allocated only 2% of ADP in the agriculture sector.
PTI’s Fayazul Hassan Chohan, responding to Leghari, asked the latter what his father had done for South Punjab as president.
He said PTI allocated 55% to the health sector of South Punjab in the budget 2019-20, 40% to sports, 39% to social welfare, 48% to agriculture, while nine hospitals were also being constructed in South Punjab.
PML-N’s Manazar Ali Ranjha demanded the formation of a commission, consisting of lawmakers of both the treasury and the opposition, to conduct a survey and determine whether the people were satisfied with the performance of this government.
Later, the deputy speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari adjourned the house for Wednesday (today) at 3pm.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2019.