Opposition, treasury trade barbs over supplementary budget

‘Mudslinging’ session diverts lawmakers’ focus from real issues

LAHORE: As the opposition came hard on treasury asking them to justify the supplementary budget of Rs90 billion, the treasury lawmakers focussed their speeches to the ‘wrong policies’ of the Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-N) regime.

On a point the opposition lawmakers were also left ‘speechless’ when the treasury asked the reason for creating a ruckus, tearing agenda copies, chanting slogans on the next day of the budget was passed. PML-N’s Malik Muhammad Ahmed said how the rulers could teach people to adopt austerity while they approved the supplementary budget. He also questioned an amount of Rs56 million being demanded for the office of Advocate General Pakistan, where he said ‘an army of employees’ has been recruited merely to fight the legal battle against opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif.

Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht informed the opposition that the PML-N’s outstanding debts of Rs56 billion were also included in the supplementary budget. On a query of the PML-N’s Bilal Farooq over what the PTI government had done regarding police reforms and to depoliticise the force, Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said the feedback of the opposition lawmakers was important and the issue could be discussed in ‘a peaceful atmosphere’.

Meanwhile, Minister for School Education Dr Murad Rass also thanked the opposition for playing a ‘passive’ role on the day the budget was passed.

The opposition’s lawmakers reacted strongly after PTI’s Punjab Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal lambasted PML-N’s regime, requesting Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari to ask them was it not the PML-N that had used the supplementary budget for financial support in the by-elections. The opposition lawmakers stood up and created pandemonium in the House. Meanwhile, a senior politician and former PMLN’s minister Shaikh Allaudin wanted to respond but the deputy speaker did not allow him which irked the opposition.

The opposition legislators, shouted slogans against the PTI’s leadership, tore the copies of agenda over which the treasury lawmakers seemed surprised who told them their ruckus will not bear fruit as the PTI got its budget passed when PML-N’s lawmakers could not even speak a single word against the budget.

As the house proceedings started, Speaker Chaudhary Pervez Elahi directed the Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat to personally monitor the matter raised by PML-N’s Agha Ali Haider relating to some families of Sayedwala area who are being deprived of their property rights.

The house started at 4:28pm while scheduled time was 3:00pm. The lawmakers from both sides delivered their fiery speeches criticizing each other’s regimes rather than shedding light on the real topic “General Discussion on the supplementary budget for the year 2018-19.” However, the house was adjourned for Friday (today) at 3:00pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2019.