National Assembly’s standing committee on Finance has expressed no-confidence on the briefing given by Finance Ministry on upcoming budget.
The in-camera committee meeting was held at parliament house on Wednesday with its chairperson Fauzia Wahab on the chair. The members of committee showed resentment as during briefing, high ups of Finance Ministry was not informed the committee regarding the budget proposal given by the members.
According to sources the committee members demanded budget documents but the officers of Finance Ministry refused to give the documents by saying that it would be delivered in the National Assembly at the time of budget’s speech on which MNA from ANP Bushra Gohar held walkout as a token of protest.
The sources also told Online that the committee also asked for the raise in government servant’s salary but a member of PPP Qamar Zaman Kaira told the committee that increasing the pay and allowances of the government servants is the prerogative of Prime Minister.
The Finance Ministry told the standing committee that the target of budget deficit for the fiscal year2011-12 has been fixed at 4.5 percent.
Later while talking to the media , Busha Gohar said if government has to prepare budget according to the dictation of World Bank and IMF and if bureaucracy would go on their wishes then it is useless to get approval of the people’s representatives.
“I gave proposal to cut the defence budget and to allocate the funds for Ministry of Defence equal to other ministries. Furthermore the programme regarding training of sniffers dogs also be carried out from defence budget, which were not included in the budget”.
She said that every effort would be thwarted to minimize the role of parliament in making budget
After the meeting Qamar Zaman Kaira told the journalist s that the meeting was briefed about the lay out of the upcoming budget., which would be presented after the approval of federal cabinet.
“Government can not abolish all subsidies instantly. The world bank survey in the flood affected areas would be completed till 30 June and after that the distribution of fund to the affectees would be commenced.