MUZAFFARABAD, June 26: The Rs17.848 billion AJK budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year was passed by the Legislative Assembly on Saturday without any visible disagreement with the opposition.

An opposition lawmaker did move some cut motions as Finance Minister Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan presented the budgetary demands, but he did not press them, paving way for smooth passage of the fiscal document. The house also passed additional expenditures in the current budget to the tune of Rs892.186 million.

Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed, who recently assumed the office of the Public Accounts Committee chairman, also presented a report of PAC in the house.

Before adjourning the session sine die, Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid thanked the treasury and opposition benches for helping him run the proceedings smoothly.