ISLAMABAD, June 19: The opposition in the National Assembly on Saturday urged Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain to ask President Gen Pervez Musharraf to desist from passing derogatory remarks against members of parliament , especially the heads or parliamentary leaders of political parties.

Taking the floor on a point of order deputy secretary-general of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Liaqat Baloch said: "While we fully respect the speaker's ruling on Friday which was final, through which the MPs were prohibited from targeting the conduct of the president in the house, but we would also like to bring it on record that Gen Musharraf had criticized Qazi Hussain Ahmed, MMA's acting president and its parliamentary leader by name in his meeting with a group of treasury MPs on Friday".

Addressing the chair, Mr Baloch said: "Mr Speaker you have restricted us but you also need to take notice of the utterances of the president who had made highly objectionable personal remarks against Qazi Hussain Ahmed while talking to treasury MPs".

Such utterances he said amount to breach of privilege of the MPs and their performance is also affected.

ARD chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim also endorsed MMA leader's plea.

Meanwhile, the opposition continued to blast next year's budget by terming it a collection of imaginary dreams and failing to arrest the fast growing poverty in the country.

Chaudhry Manzoor of PPP Parliamentarians said while the budget carried huge reappropriation estimates of Rs91.82 billion, it lacked in providing sufficient funds for social sector while enhancing defence budget.

He pointed out that despite huge bank borrowing of Rs27,936 million the budget carried huge deficit in terms of trade balance. He also criticized increase in defence budget at the cost of social sector.

He said, while we condemn this increase we equally condemn 17 per cent increase affected by India.

He alleged that according to the international standards of poverty according to the economic survey, the whole population of Pakistan lived below the poverty line.

He said while the finance minister had given good news to provide employment to one million people that too without indicating the avenues, he has ignored that the country had 2.5 million people waiting for employment according to the economic survey. This he said would mean that even if government fulfils promise of giving employment to one million about 1.5 million will still remain unemployed.

He regretted that the finance minister had declared the description of an employed person who works even one hour in a week's time.

Under the bitter economic situation as many as 137 people had committed suicide in the month of May alone he reminded.

He alleged that the incompetent rulers in Pakistan had been able to utilize only 18 per cent resource potential of the country in last 50 years. He said 68 per cent of the people in the country fell ill due to contaminated water.

He warned that if the poverty continued to grow at present pace then no one would be able to avoid the explosion which Indonesia had witnessed in 90's and which earlier caught Brazil, Chilly and other countries.

Sardar Farooq Ahmed Leghari of PML appreciated the fiscal policies adopted by President Musharraf after taking over power in 1999 which in his view had saved the country from bankruptcy.

He commended the macro economic growth, balance of payment and enormous increase in foreign exchange reserves due to the fiscal policies of the government.