KARACHI, June 29: The opposition in Sindh Assembly, on Tuesday, rejected the provincial budget and termed it anti- people. "We are starting the new financial year with a dismal hope
, as we have been given a deficit budget involving increased non- development expenditure," said leader of the opposition Nisar Khuhro while addressing a news conference here on Tuesday.
He said that the PPP Parliamentarians had abstained from the last year's budget session because of the party policy against the controversial Legal Framework Order. This year, he added, the party took part in the debate to expose the government.
Mr Khuhro claimed that during the budget discussion, the finance minister and the chief minister failed to reply to the questions regarding law and order as well as providing security to common man.
He was of the view that the chief minister too had evaded responsibility, which he had equally shared in the cabinet of former chief minister Ali Mohammad Mahar. He also criticized the government on evading opposition's demand for special sitting to discuss the high profile killings and bomb blasts in Karachi.
He accused the chief minister of double standards and trying to pit one group against another. In this context, he referred to the brutal act of police to suppress MMA's peace march and manhandling of its elected representatives and mediamen.
Nisar Khuhro said the budget was reflective of misuse of funds by the government whom he accused of indulging in lavish expenditure. In this context, he referred to Rs40 billion surplus budget for Punjab and said the Sindh government had begun with a deficit of Rs4 billion raising dismal hope.
He also referred to the briefing given to the MPAs by the irrigation secretary during which he claimed the government had admitted that IRSA (Indus River System Authority) was refusing to provide Sindh its share of water as enshrined in the 1991 Water Accord.
The problem was also aggravated due to flawed management at local level, he added. Parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Maulana Omer Sadiq, declared the budget anti-people and said there was no relief offered in the heavy document.
Referring to the MMA's peace march, he crticized the chief minister for the alleged manhandling of MMA workers and leaders by police. He alleged that the police tortured MNAs and MPAs of the MMA.
