Govt to convene NA session on mini-budget on Jan 10

Proposals on the Senate's Finance Act Amendment Bill will also be tabled in the session

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Thursday decided to convene the National Assembly (NA) session for the approval of the Finance Supplementary Bill 2021 - popularly known as the mini-budget - on January 10.

Talking to media in Islamabad, Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Babar Awan said that a summary has been sent to convene the NA session on January 10 at 4 pm. Proposals on the Senate's Finance Act Amendment Bill will also be tabled during the session.

"For the betterment of the nation and the common man, the government will not allow the process of legislation to be stopped," Awan said, adding that laws cannot be passed through chanting slogans. 

The PM's aid was referring to the ruckus created in the NA session held on the mini-budget the past week. As the proceedings started, despite the absence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, opposition members tore copies of the agenda and surrounded the speaker’s dais.

The minister further stated that the government will not stop the process of legislation due to the commotion made by the Opposition. "The door is open for negotiations on legislation," said Awan.

Read: Mini-budget to stymie poultry sector growth

Earlier on January 4, the treasury benches struggled to continue the Senate session amid strong noisy protests and frequent walkouts by the opposition lawmakers, forcing the chair to postpone the proceedings until Friday amid lack of quorum.

During the sitting, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin tabled the Finance Amendment Bill, which was referred to the relevant standing committee. The chair directed the committee to present its report to the house within three days.

Speaking on the Finance Amendment Bill 2021, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani criticised “the mini-budget”. He said that the people wanted to know what decisions were being taken at the behest of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the US.