MUZAFFARABAD: The opposition and treasury benches in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly were on the same page on Tuesday on the issue of their personal benefits, as the house met to initiate debate on the 2014-15 budget.

Apparently, the ‘common concern’ was the sanctity of the assembly and alleged supremacy of the finance department over the legislature, after it was pointed out by one legislator that no funds had been proposed in the fiscal document in accordance with a recent unanimously enacted law, envisaging raise in the pensions of Legislative Assembly Members (MLAs).

The lawmakers from both sides said the “deliberate omissions” were tantamount to disregarding the sanctity of the august house and warned the ‘lent officers’ – a term for the officers posted in AJK by the central government - to avoid behaving like ‘viceroys’ and (thus) denting the ideological bonds between AJK and Pakistan.

The criticism started after the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) MLA Sardar Farooq Tahir, on a point of order, said the budget document did not reflect the law about welfare and pension of MLAs as well as approval of the assembly’s finance committee regarding the salaries of employees inducted in the assembly secretariat over the past 2-3 years.

Pension and other woes evoke angry outbursts from MLAs

According to the pension law, each MLA if elected once or more than once is entitled to a monthly pension of Rs10000 and Rs15000, respectively.

However, lately the earlier law was repealed and replaced by a new one, whereby pensions have been raised to Rs45000 and Rs50000, respectively.Mr Tahir was of the view that the assembly was worthless if its recommendations went unheeded.

While endorsing his views, leader of the opposition and PML-N president Raja Farooq Haider adopted a harsh tone in his criticism of finance department and its secretary.

“Barring a few, the MLAs belonged to middle class who didn’t even possess personal vehicles to attend the sessions and (therefore) the increase in their privileges was indispensable,” Mr Haider claimed and asked Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed to take stock of the situation.

The PML-N chief virtually encouraged the outpourings of discontent as Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq allowed all members to speak.

Public Accounts Committee chairman Sardar Abid Hussain Abid accused the finance department of creating unrest in AJK.

“Do the lent officers come here to fan hatreds and bitterness,” he questioned.

Minister for school education Mian Abdul Waheed said non-compliance of assembly’s recommendations by any individual amounted to disgracing this house.

MQM MLAs and ministers Tahir Khokhar and Salim Butt said they had already made it clear that the budget was not prepared by the finance minister but by the finance secretary.

PML-N’s Chaudhry Ismail, Chaudhry Mohammad Ishaque and Yasin Gulshan and Muslim Conference MLAs Sardar Mir Akbar, Malick Mohammad Nawaz and Mehrun Nisa were equally critical.

Minister for rehabilitation Abdul Majid Khan threatened that the legislators would not let the proceedings continue if this issue was not settled.

However, finance minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar assured the house that the government would not let anyone erode the authority of the assembly.

“The government will ensure that the sanctity of house and the laws enacted by it were respected by all and sundry,” he said.

Prime Minister Majeed also gave similar assurances and announced the constitution of a committee comprising the finance minister, leader of the opposition and minister for religious affairs Afsar Shahid to look into this issue.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2014