The 19th session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly was marked by the passage of the Finance Bill 2016 amid low interest of lawmakers in budget debate as well as proceedings of the House, says the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
As many as 92 members (75 per cent of the current membership- 123) did not contribute to the budget debate, 21 per cent of them were female legislators while 71 were male lawmakers. Ten female lawmakers were from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), followed by three members from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam- Fazlur Rehman (JUIF), two members each from Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PMLN) and Qaumi Watan Party- Sherpao (QWPS) and one each of Awami Jamhuri Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Similarly, of the 71 male members not participating in the budget debate, 37 belonged to PTI followed by eight members each from JUIF and PMLN, seven from QWPS, four from AJIP, three from JI, two from ANP, one from PPP and one independent lawmaker.
Of the 31 members who took part in the budget debate, one was female and 30 male. The only female lawmaker from PMLN debated the budget for 15 minutes whereas male lawmakers debated for 659 minutes. Eight of the male members participating in the budget debate were from PTI followed by sic from JUIF, five from PMLN, four from PPP, three from JI, two from ANP, one from QWP and an independent lawmaker.
The finance minister presented the annual budget 2016-2017 as well as the supplementary budget statement for the year 2015-2016 during the first sitting. He took 104 minutes to present the budget. The leader of the opposition opened the budget debate in the second sitting and spoke for 52 minutes.
The House passed the KP Finance Bill 2016 during sixth sitting and several treasury members left the House when the motion was being moved to pass the finance bill. Their absence was also noted by the chief minister who announced to initiate an enquiry against them. The session, comprising eight sittings, started on June 14 and ended on June 24. On average, each sitting started 15 minutes behind the schedule and lasted two hours and 17 minutes with 47 lawmakers (38 per cent) present at the start and 51 (41 per cent) at the time of adjournment.
The chief minister attended seven sittings for 69 per cent of the proceedings’ time. The leader of the opposition attended six sittings for 77 per cent of the proceedings’ time while the finance minister was present in entire proceedings’ time of eight sittings. The speaker chaired 98 per cent of the session while the remaining time (two per cent) was consumed in a break. The deputy speaker remained present in seven sittings but she did not preside over any sitting.
The House witnessed an exchange of heated arguments during its fifth sitting between the provincial minister for health and a PTI lawmaker over a cut motion. Due to their in-fight, the chair had to suspend this particular sitting without transaction of the entire agenda.
A resolution to bring members’ remuneration at par with Balochistan Assembly was adopted by the House which was sponsored by a JUIF lawmaker. The House witnessed two walkouts, one joint and other individual, and one protest by the entire opposition. The entire opposition protested for 104 minutes on floor of the House during Budget speech of the finance minister.
The PTI lawmakers jointly walked out of the House for one minute against the unscheduled loadshedding in the provinces while a PTI lawmaker walked out of the House for 20 minutes against the attitude of the chair who did not allow him to debate over the provincial budget.
