Bureaucracy blamed for supplementary budget

Opposition demands judicial commission on May 9 riots

LAHORE:

During a debate on the provincial supplementary budget, opposition members of the Punjab Assembly accused the bureaucracy and police of spending excessive amounts on irrelevant activities rather than improving the state of various sectors.

Members from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) also demanded the formation of a judicial commission for impartially probing into the May 9 riots after the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s founding chairman Imran Khan.

Before the commencement of the general discussion on the supplementary budget, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan ruled on a point of order raised by an opposition member that the concern expressed regarding a separate and independent mechanism for revising the salaries or allowances of the assembly members was correct.

The authorities concerned were directed to comply with the ruling. The SIC’s Rana Aftab had questioned a day earlier how the government could increase the salaries and allowances of the lawmakers when the judiciary, executive and other authorities had their own mechanisms for the purpose .

As the discussion on the supplementary budget began, Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachar said, “We will face the consequence if found involved in the May 9 riots but why should we tender apology before anyone?” He demanded the formation of a judicial commission over the incidents.

Criticisng the provincial government, he said Rs1.4 billion had been allocated for CCTV cameras but what benefits the nation had obtained except conversion of forms 45 into 47. If the CCTVs had worked properly, the gory incidents of May 9 last year would not have taken place, he maintained.

He said the province is facing gigantic problems along with issues relating to health, education, law and order and other sectors.

The opposition leader said whooping amounts were allocated for the police but all their efforts were confined to registering FIRs or arresting PTI workers rather than curbing crimes. He said a large amount had been spent on the medical treatment of a senior police officer. He said the supplementary budget was the result of negligence of the bureaucracy, which itself had prepared the document regarding Rs268 billion spent on their irrelevant activities.

MPA Tahira Mushtaq from the treasury benches praised the budget but called for a mechanism at the government level to protect tourists from exploitation by hotel owners in Murree.

SIC lawmaker Ahsan Raza suggested that the episode of May 9 should be forgotten if the province and the country were to be taken forward.