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| June 26, 2005 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1426 |
PA approves Rs4.62 billion supplementary grants
QUETTA, June 25: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday passed supplementary grants of Rs4.62 billion for 2004-05 amid a walkout by the opposition. The opposition members said debate on the supplementary grants was not on the agenda of the proceedings. They termed the passage of the grants unlawful, saying that majority of the house was not present.
The 11 dissident Pakistan Muslim League MPAs did not attend the session for second day. During the question hour, 29 members of the treasury and 11 of opposition were present.
Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar presided over the proceedings.
The house witnessed an uproar when opposition members alleged that their areas had been neglected in allocation of development funds and provision of tube wells.
The protest over lack of mention of debate on supplementary grants in the agenda also caused a pandemonium. The speaker adjourned the session for 10 minutes to maintain the decorum of the house.
After the resumption of the proceedings, the opposition members became enraged when the speaker asked the finance minister to present request for supplementary grants. They staged a walkout alleging that the speaker was running the house in violation of its code of procedure.
An opposition member said on a point of order after the walkout that under the rules, presence of 32 of the 64 members of the house was necessary to pass supplementary grants, but the speaker ignored him.
The 29 members present in the house approved three supplementary grants of Rs3.69 billion for development and 16 demands of about Rs930 million for non-development expenditure.
The opposition members complained that they were not provided copies of revised estimates for supplementary grants but the speaker assured them that they would get the copies.
The finance minister said on a point of order that the opposition members could express their views on the supplementary grants when they participated in the debate on the budget.
The senior minister said the chief minister and invited the opposition members to give proposals for the Public Sector Development Programme but they had declined the offer.
The deputy speaker said on a point of order said that he would submit documentary proof of irregularities committed in appointments in the assembly secretariat. An opposition member alleged that the deputy speaker’s resignation was aimed at diverting the attention of people from the PML’s internal crisis.
The session was adjourned till Sunday.
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