The National Assembly on Friday passed two money bills envisaging additional revenue measures of Rs 38 billion in the current fiscal year by imposing Gas Infrastructure Development Cess and Petroleum Levy on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Since PML-N legislators continued their boycott of the National Assembly proceedings for the second consecutive day, the government easily sailed through the passage of the bills despite PPP-S chief Aftab Sherpao asking it to defer the bills until the major opposition party joined the House, since the matter was of paramount public interest.
However, two other opposition parties, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and PPP-S distanced themselves from the PML-N boycott over the memo controversy, drawing a clear line between the opposition parties. “We are part of opposition group benches but will stand with right decisions whether taken by the treasury or our colleagues in the opposition,” said JUI-F MNA Laiq Muhammad Khan, speaking on a point of order.
Interestingly, despite his party’s boycott, PML-N member from Sargodha Shafqat Hayat Baloch was the sole PML-N member who remained present in the House and only got a clue of his party’s boycott when pointed out by Aftab Sherpao. Later, he also left the House as well.
Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar informed the house that opposition had proposed some amendments to the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Bill 2011, which the government would accommodate despite their boycott.
Earlier, supporting the arguments of Sherpao, Rasheed Godil of the MQM and Kashmala Tariq of the PML-Q also opposed the passage of the bills on pretext that the bill was bulldozed by the finance standing committee and no member was informed of the agenda.
However, treasury members Nazar Gondal and Munir Orakzai opposed their views and said the committee had passed the bills unanimously and the meeting was also attended by PML-N members.
Later, the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Bill 2011 was passed unanimously while clause IV of the bill was rejected by the government.
Responding to a point of order raised by Prince Mohyuddin, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani informed the National Assembly that the Finance Division had been directed to release Rs 1 billion to the National Highway Authority (NHA) to resume work on the Lowari Tunnel project.
Nadeem Afzal Gondal of the PPP alleged that a young girl, Natasha, was raped in Taxila which fell under the constituency of Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, but no action had been taken against the culprits.
He said the nation knew well how nurses were being treated and assaulted in Lahore for raising a voice for their rights.
