The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly on Monday unanimously passed the finance bill for the next year with a few amendments, along with 25 demands for grants.
The session started a hour late of its schedule time and the first person who face a little resistance from MPA Bakht Baidar Khan and Meraj Humayun was Minister Awqaf Habibur Rehman. Bakht was not happy with the ministers’ performance as the ministry neglected his constituency in funds for construction of boundary walls of cemeteries. Humayun said she has not seen any performance of the ministry which has important subjects like Hajj and minorities. “The minister should explain us his performance regarding the preservation and renovation of Churches and Gurdwaras,” she said conditioning her cut motion’s withdrawal with explanation. Rehman responded to the queries and said his role in Hajj is like a postman and has no powers to make decisions. Regarding the funds issue he said, “The previous year I had more funds and fewer applications and we give funds to everyone who applied for it but this year the applications are 369 and the funds are less which is why many applications which are pending would be addressed in the next financial year.”
Then came the issue of shortage of place for cemeteries raised by Bakht Baidar who was flanked by speaker Asad Qaiser, local government minister Inayat Khan, Atif Khan and Muzaffar Said calling it a “serious issue” pertaining every area. Inayat Khan suggested that MPAs be allowed to use their funds for buying lands for graveyards and in the next Annual Development Programme (ADP) funds should be allocated for it. Muzaffar Said suggested that the private negotiations should be allowed in buying land for the cemeteries under the market rates as the Section-4 rates does not match the market rates of land at some areas and people get victimised through Section-4. Qaiser said a committee comprising Sikandar Sherpao, Atif Khan, Law Minister and Finance Minister should be formed to make the evaluation of the rate of land under Section-4.
Bakht Baidar Khan through his cut motion—which he withdrew latter—asked the transport minister Shah Mohammad Khan why the KP government rejected an offer from the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to construct a Metro Bus Service in KP. The Minister for Labour Shah Farman, Inayatullah Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak responded that the question was a political question. Farman said, “If the Prime Minister is that generous than KP has more important issues than the Metro Bus. The Premier should help the province in those issues.”
Inayatullah Khan said, “The issue of Railway land with the track which we asked for utilisation should be resolved so that we can run over own mass transit system with the tracks from Chamkani to Hayatabad,” said Khan. Khattak said he has superb plan for connecting Peshawar, Nowshehra and Charsadda through fast track railway system, the PM should help in that project. “We wanted mass transit system over the extra land located with the railway tracks from Chamkani to Hayatabad and the cost was Rs 10 to Rs 12 billion but if we go along with the existing road it would cost Rs 45 billions.” He said if they take out Rs 45 billion from the mega projects than they would have no money for other projects. Khattak added if the PM is in agreement with them regarding the connection of the three cities through the fast track train service, then they would ask him for help.
In the finance bill Anis Zeb Tahirkheli and Sikandar Sherpao brought two amendments pertaining to the increase on tax on property, particularly taxes on property owned by the small scale businessmen and printing press increased through different clauses in the finance bill. Sherpao objected on amendments in the KP Civil Servants Retirement Benefits and Death Grants Compensation Act 2014, and demanded that the clause be omitted – this was accepted and the clause was removed.
