ISLAMABAD: The government pushed its second budget through the National Assembly with ease on Saturday amid some gestures to PPP ahead of threatened anti-government protests.

The final vote on the Finance Bill, 2014, which will give effect to the new budget unveiled on June 3 and taxation proposals for the next fiscal year, came in presence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a weeklong general debate and a laborious adoption, also by voice vote, of demands for grants for federal ministries.

It was followed by the adoption of a total of 111 supplementary demands for expenditures made in excess of the outgoing year’s budget and what was called “excess demands” for non-budgeted expenditures made in financial years between 2004-5 and 2007-8.

The new finance bill was adopted with several amendments moved by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to incorporate concessions he announced in a speech to the house at the end of the general debate on Tuesday.

All opposition amendments were rejected.

While the bill must come into force on July 1, an amendment introduced by the finance minister gave exception to six sub-clauses of two clauses relating to collection of several levies, which it said would be effective a day after President Mamnoon Hussain gave his formal assent.

The sub-clauses will empower the government to collect certain levies before the start of the new financial year as had happened last year after the Supreme Court had annulled an authorisation assumed under a British-era law, the now-defunct Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931.

Homage to Benazir

Although the finance minister talked tough in rejecting some PPP amendments to the finance bill and a demand to assign the collection of a gas infrastructure development cess to provinces, the government seemed making a friendly gesture to the party by moving a resolution to pay homage to its slain leader Benazir Bhutto to mark her 61st birthday.

The resolution, moved by Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid and unanimously adopted by the house, praised Ms Bhutto for her “indomitable courage and will to fight against extremism and tyranny” and said the house “salutes her single-minded determination to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and pays tribute to her incomparable services for a democratic Pakistan for which she ultimately laid down her life”.

After its passage, a prominent government ally, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai proposed that the prime minister, who was not present in the house at the time, invite PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari and leaders of other political parties to a breakfast meeting.

Reacting to the suggestion, Mr Dar said the prime minister had intended to invite all members of the National Assembly and Senate to a dinner on June 19 or 20, but the plan was given up after the murder of Tahira Asif, a house member belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, in Lahore.

However, he said, the prime minister might invite lawmakers to an Iftar dinner during another session of the house that might be called “eight to 10 days” later.

But Mr Achakzai clarified that he actually wanted the prime minister to invite the political leadership of the country to consider forming “a pro-democracy front”.

The apparent olive branch to PPP came while Allama Tahirul Qadri has threatened to hold anti-government protest rallies after his arrival in Islamabad on Monday.

Earlier, on a suggestion from Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah at the start of the day’s proceedings, the house prayed for the soul of Benazir Bhutto.

The house also unanimously adopted another resolution, signed by all parties, condemning what it called the “dastardly” killing of Tahira Asif and demanding that the “culprits involved in this heinous crime may be arrested forthwith by the police of Punjab and be punished”.

The house was later prorogued after a 19-day session.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2014