- Strong resistance pushes govt on backfoot
- PPP also opposes the idea
ISLAMABAD: Like other political parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has opposed the government’s plan to present one-year budget.
The budget was supposed to be presented at the National Assembly on April 27. However, due to strong opposition of the proposal, the government could not decide the final date yet.
Earlier, the government had planned to present, leaving the rest on the coming government. In this regard, the government has given task to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to convince the political parties.
The speaker, however, made it clear that he could only request to the political parties for building consensus on the proposed budget but cannot put pressure on them.
In this connection, a meeting of the parliamentarians was held under the chair of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in which the members shared their suggestions. Ayaz Sadiq said being the National Assembly speaker, he had always wished that the government and opposition could develop consensus on the national matters.
He suggested that the government and opposition should develop consensus on the coming budget. He said that the budget should be presented and supported because it was in the best interest of the nation. The meeting participants endorsed their suggestions.
Sources said the opposition leaders, including Dr Shireen Mizari, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Naveed Qamar, Sahibzada Tariqullah and Sheikh Salahuddin opposed the suggestion of one year budget.
The opposition leaders objected that when the current government’s tenure was going to end in May then how it can present one year budget, adding this responsibility should be left on the coming government.
They warned if the government presented the budget despite their opposition, it would not only be illegal but would also be considered in the category of pre-poll rigging. They said if the government was insistent to present the budget, it could present four months budget and the opposition would support it.
The warned, ‘If the government implements the policy of one year budget, the opposition will not only lodge protest but the government would put itself into trouble, adding that the ruling party members were already leaving the party’.
They made it clear that the opposition would not leave any stone unturned to stop the budget approval from the National Assembly. The sources said, the speaker, however, requested the opposition leaders to support the government in presenting the budget and not to go for protests.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Miftah Ismail and State Minister of Finance Rana Afzal Khan gave explanation to the opposition leaders, requesting them not to oppose the budget. They assured the opposition leaders that the budget would not only be beneficial for the PML-N but for the public as well. Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Haroon Akhtar Khan and others also attended the meeting.
