ISLAMABAD, June 21: The National Assembly passed the new federal budget on Wednesday, rejecting a rare opposition challenge that the Finance Bill was not fit to be treated as a money bill because it amended several laws beyond its scope.
The final voice vote to pass the Finance Bill came at the end of a 12-day debate after the ruling coalition majority adopted 14 government amendments to the original 21-clause draft moved on June 5 along with the Rs1.3 trillion budget for fiscal 2006-07 and rejected all the 84 amendments moved by opposition members.
The opposition had objected to several bill clauses such as those seeking ‘anti-worker’ changes in labour laws and appointment of special price control magistrates by amending the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Former interior minister Aitzaz Ahsan of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and several other members of his party and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) argued that these amendments could be made through normal bills which must be passed by both houses of parliament to become laws.
They accused the government of doing it through the backdoor by including amendments in the Finance Bill which, being a money bill, would not go to the Senate for passage.
The argument was supported by MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai before it was rejected by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi, provoking a token protest walkout by opposition.
Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain ignored an opposition demand to give a ruling on whether a finance bill that amended labour laws and the CrPC could be a money bill.
However, the chair allowed speeches by a considerable number of opposition members during the usual three readings of the Finance Bill. Most of them branded the budget pro-rich and anti-poor. A fiery PPP member, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, said his party would get ‘anti-labour laws’ repealed if elected to power.
But most of the ruling coalition members, who were present in strength to ensure a smooth passage of the budget, seemed to turn a deaf ear to opposition speeches as they were often seen busy talking among themselves.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain were no exception as they too received coalition members for a chat at their desks or went over to them even on the back benches for what looked like mini-conferences.
It was not immediately clear how many of the 36 recommendations made by the Senate about the budget were accommodated in the Finance Bill although, when MMA’s Liaquat Baloch complained about it, the speaker said some were included through the amendments moved by Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan.
OBJECTIONABLE AMENDMENTS: One of the amendments made in labour laws was one in the Factories Act that enhanced working hours to 12 — from the present 10 in factories running throughout a year and 11-1/2 hours in seasonal factories — and provided that a woman may work with her consent up to 10pm in two shifts if the employer arranges transport.
An amendment in the Workmen’s Compensation Act enhanced wage limit of workers to Rs6,000 from Rs3,000 for entitlement to compensation and one in the Companies Profit Act relaxed the condition of payment of interest and penalty for a defaulting employer to create a trust, increased the paid up capital and fixed assets for companies to pay profit share to workers and amended categories of workers for entitlement to a share in profit.
An amendment in the West Pakistan Shops and Establishment Ordinance excluded piece rate workers from overtime payment. The National Assembly will take up supplementary demands for grants for the outgoing fiscal 2005-06 on Thursday when it meets at 10:30am.
