Opposition forms body to win over PTI’s allies against budget

Committee comprises PPP, PMLN, MMA and ANP leaders

ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition – comprising the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and the Awami National Party (ANP) -- has formed a special committee for reaching out to the coalition partners of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a bid to prevent the government from passing the budget for the new fiscal year in its present form.

The committee will contact the government’s allied parties and convince them into opposing the budget.

The body comprises PPP leaders Khursheed Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shazia Marri and Sherry Rehman, PML-N’s Rana Tanveer, Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq and Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MMA’s Shahida Akhtar Ali and ANP’s Amir Haider Hoti.

The joint opposition has also shortlisted 10 federal ministries for which financial cuts will be proposed during the budget session.

They include the ministries of finance, foreign affairs, defence, energy, law and justice, national food security, communication and water resources.

The opposition lawmakers have been directed to submit as many motions as possible proposing budgetary cuts for these ministries over their poor performance.

After the completion of the budget debate, the budgetary draft will be presented for approval while motions for cuts in grants and budgets of the federal ministries will be presented on June 26 and 27 for voting

The finance bill 2019-20 will be presented for approval on June 28.The budget session will conclude after the approval of the supplementary grants on June 29.