PTI, JI sail through budget session with ease

Opposition’s boycott gives nervous treasury wiggle room

PESHAWAR: While the local government controversy has left Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its brothers in arms hot under the collar, the opposition’s boycott of the budget allowed for smooth sailing for the treasury.

Day one of the session commenced an hour late on Thursday. While the treasury might have anticipated a possible confrontation over numbers, representatives of Awami National Party, Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl were nowhere to be seen – handing round one to the ruling parties. The only voice of dissent in the half empty house was that of Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party. QWP leader Bakht Baidar Khan termed the 10% increase in government salaries inadequate. In his judgment, “the increment is not even equal to the price of a single bag of flour.”

He also reminded the ruling parties about their promises of enforcing a uniform education system in the province.

Bakht’s rhetoric was complemented by Sikandar Hayat Sherpao’s digs at Minister for Finance Muzaffar Said. Sherpao stated, “Said’s prayers have been heard. Today is also the first of Ramazan so we cannot appropriately vent our frustration over the provincial budget.”

Unrealistic targets

Sikandar said the deficit budget reflects trends of the past. “The government does realise it will never get its hands on the unpaid net hydel profits worth Rs51 billion this year.” Referring to the various funds pending on part of the Centre, Sherpao said the government needed to be realistic when it comes to federal arrears. “The total amounts to Rs93 billion and essentially writes off 20% of the budget.”

The QWP leader also lambasted the federal government.  “Islamabad should run the country like a federation and not favour one province alone,” he added.

“Last year the provincial receipts target was set at Rs13 billion and the collection was 15 billion. This year they have set the bar at Rs37 billion.” Sikandar also questioned the unrealistic target set for agriculture tax collection at which point Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan agreed and called for a review.

In defence of the budget

First to defend the government’s case was Minister for Labour Shah Farman who said the province is forced to shift the burden on taxation because the federal government is not paying up.

Citing Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s meetings with federal water and power ministry and Water and Power Development Authority, Inayatullah said K-P receives Rs6 billion in terms of its net hydel power generation share. “Once it is uncapped, the share will be raised to Rs17 billion.”

With all these questions flying through the session, Said seemed least prepared to provide technical answers.

While most of QWP’s advances were rebutted by Khattak’s men, not all of the latter were as supportive. Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan’s Shangla lawmaker Abdul Monem Khan said not a single development scheme had been planned for his hometown. “The budget focuses on five districts and the rest have been ignored completely. I am not walking out because I respect my elders but I will have to return to my people empty-handed,” he said. “At least 75 schools of Shangla destroyed almost ten years ago in the earthquake are yet to be repaired.”

QWP’s Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli and Meraj Humayun Khan stressed on the creation of a separate department for women. The session was adjourned till Friday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2015.